Pure
by Valhalla96
Summary: Angie Benson has been Sirius Black's friend since childhood. Now, as they enter their sixth year, she realizes that her feelings toward him have changed. MWPP 6th year and onwards.
1. Happy Birthday

**A/N: like many authors here on I do not own Harry Potter or the characters from the books. However, I must say, Angie Benson is mine. As this seems adequate enough, it shall last the duration of the story.**

**Now, I must say that this is not the first story I've written but I can say that I will try my best to finish the story. With that having been said, on with the show!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Happy Birthday

It has now been twelve years since Angelica Benson first laid eyes on Sirius Black. It has been a great twelve years at that. She and Sirius were very old friends and she could not have hoped for more. Or so she convinced herself to believe.

* * *

_The soft tapping of wood against glass pulled Angelica from her slumber. The covers she had kicked off the previous night lay in a heap on the floor beside her bed. Her face was buried deep in the groove of her pillow, her arms forming a circle beneath the pillow to block the sunlight from reaching her eyes. As a second layer of defence against the offending brightness, her wavy brown hair was mopped about her face. The only article of clothing on her body was her knickers and they weren't doing much._

_The tapping at her window continued. Her widows were wide open and the curtains had been pulled apart. There was no screen covering her windows but the bugs had not made their way into the house. The sunlight was pouring through the windows, leaving a shadow on her bedroom floor of a person hovering on a broomstick._

_Angelica slowly turned to the table next to her bed to inspect the time with her eyes still remaining closed, unaware she was giving her window visitor an eyeful. Slowly, lazily, she opened one eye and saw the time clearly displayed: 10:30 A.M._

_Completely forgetting about her window visitor, Angelica rolled over completely and sat up. She opened her eyes and almost screamed. She groped about her bed for her covers before she came upon the crumpled mass of fabric on the floor. She swung an arm behind her and reached for her pillow and covered her exposed chest._

_Sitting on a broom, grinning widely was Angelica's best friend from childhood and positively the most divine specimen of a man who took residence in her dreams._

_"Sirius, what the hell are you doing, waking me up this early in the morning!" Angelica yelled at Sirius, still clutching the pillow to her chest._

_"Good morning to you too." Sirius greeted. "Mind if I come in? My arse hurts."_

_Angelica stared at him for a moment, observing him. His shoulder-length black hair elegantly fell, occasionally into his eyes. His grey eyes sparkled with mirth and amusement as his lips twisted into a smile. No, it was not a smile but a toothy grin. His tee shirt covered his upper body nicely, not too tight, not too loose. He wore cut-off jean shorts that were low rising, revealing the waistband of his boxers._

_"Suit yourself." Angelica said as he reached for a tee shirt on the floor. _

_Sirius landed in the centre of the room and got off his broomstick. Silently, he shuffled to her bed and sat on the nearest corner. He watched his best friend grab the tee shirt and attempt to slip it over her head. Unfortunately for Angelica, as she did so, she lost her grip on the pillow, revealing her breasts to him once more. Working hastily, she slipped her arms through their respective holes. Pulling her hair out from under her tee shirt, she looked up to see Sirius staring at her, grinning even wider… If that was possible._

_"Shut up, Black. Don't you dare say it." Angelica warned the man before her fiercely._

_"Aw, why so grouchy this morning, Angie?" Sirius asked with mock hurt as he moved to hug her._

_"Angie's grumpy because she stayed up way too late last night, writing her bloody potions essay only to find out that she had written it on the wrong subject. Upon seeing that it was four o'clock in the fucking morning, she decided to go to bed. Unfortunately for Angie, it's bloody summer and the temperature just **had** to be above thirty fucking degrees Celsius. That meant that Angie wasn't able to fall asleep until she removed her bra. To top it all off, her neighbour and best friend from childhood decided to go for an early morning ride on his broom and wake her up five fucking hours after she had just fallen asleep and got more than what she was willing to give him: an early morning peep show." Angie narrated, clearly irate, in the third person. Sirius had pulled her into a hug as she sang her song. "Did I forget something?" she added as an afterthought._

_Sirius leaned back from Angie and stared at her, pretending to be thinking. "Hm… I don't think so. Does Angie want to go back to bed?" _

_Angie shook her head 'No', clearly aware that it would be futile as she would never manage to fall asleep once more in her current awake state. _

_Sirius smiled mischievously. "Good. Get dressed, we'll go downstairs and eat breakfast after before going out the door to celebrate your birthday."_

_Birthday? What was Sirius playing at? Her birthday was until July seventeenth…today. In her fit of crankiness, she had managed to forget that she was now sixteen. Angie sighed as Sirius made no move to let go of her._

_"Sirius?" Angie murmured tentatively._

_"Hm?" Sirius replied._

_"I can't get dressed if you're holding me."_

_"Hm. So you can't." With that, Sirius let go of her. The thoughts that occurred though his mind followed the lines of, 'I just saw my female best friend's tits! She's not wearing a bra right now!'_

_Angie sat up straight, waiting for Sirius to leave her room. Sirius showed no sign of leaving. Angie stared at him. Sirius did not move, eyes never leaving her chest. Angie traced his line of vision down to her chest and sighed. Sirius' eyes went up and down, never leaving her chest. A devious thought occurred to Angie._

_Aware he was not paying attention any of her other body parts, Angie drew her hands toward the hem of her tee shirt. She slowly lifted her tee shirt up, revealing her flat stomach. Slowly, her tee shirt made its way over the bottom of her ribcage. _

_Seeing Angie's arms enter his field of vision with the hem of her tee shirt between her index finger and thumb, Sirius' eyes lit up. This way too good to be Angie's birthday, it definitely had to be his. _

_Seeing Sirius' eyes brighten, Angie grinned and let go of her tee shirt, letting it fall once again over her body. The look of shock and outrage that graced Sirius' face was more than a gift. Quickly, she fumbled for a Polaroid camera and clicked a picture._

_The flash of Angie's camera blinded him from his thoughts. He had come within an inch of seeing Angie's assets once more but it had passed him by. It still had not occurred to him yet that she had taken a picture of him in his shocked state. _

_By the time Sirius had realized what had just happened, Angie had long since dashed from the room. She had discarded the camera on her bed and ran off with the picture in her hand. _

_She had made it half way down the stairs before she heard Sirius begin down the stairs as well. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Angie turned a hard left and ran down the hallway into kitchen at the end of it, through the swinging door._

_Sirius was right behind when she dashed through the swinging door and forgot to place his hands before him. As a result, the door hit him flush in the face, leaving him stunned. _

_Angie had been standing next to the doorframe, waiting for him to come right through. He had been right behind her. Naturally, it struck her as odd when he had not rushed in after her. She reached out an arm and caught the door. She pulled it back and saw a sight she had not seen since she had been eight years old: Sirius stood there, hands to his face, clutching his nose, blood dripping from the crevices. _

_The mirth drained from her face as she stared at her best friend. She stuck the picture into the waistband of her knickers, above her buttocks. She proceeded to reach for Sirius's shoulders and led him into the kitchen, seating him at the table. She turned from him and left to dampen a cloth and pull an ice cube from the icebox her parents kept. _

_She returned from the icebox and sat herself upon his lap. She gently handed him the damp cloth to clean his face and hands. As he did so, he pressed the ice to his broken nose. _

_When he returned his gaze from his hands, his eyes rested upon Angie's, suddenly being overcome with the Florence Nightingale Syndrome. He gazed into her blue eyes as she continued to numb the pain in his nose._

_Angie occupied herself with numbing the pain in Sirius' face and was unaware of his gaze upon her. She did, however, become aware of the fact that she was straddling his lap in nothing but a tee shirt and knickers. She blushed before returning her gaze upon Sirius._

_"Hold this. I'm going to get the family wand to fix your nose." Angie instructed him as she gave him the ice cube and rose from his lap. She padded out into the powder room and reached into the cabinet under the sink. Her fingers found what she was looking for and she pulled out the first aid box._

_Angie opened the box, pulled out the wand from its hiding place among the cotton balls and gauze. She snapped the box shut, replaced it in its previous location and turned for the door, almost causing a collision with her face and Sirius' chest._

_Angie looked up at Sirius and began to shriek._

_"WHAT ARE YOU DOING! YOU"RE GETTING BLOOD ALL OVER THE TILES AND IT'S GOING TO STAING THE GROUT!" _

_Angie's sudden outburst caused Sirius to jump three feet into the air._

_"Sorry Angie. I just couldn't sit there while you were gone." Sirius apologized genuinely._

_Angie sighed. He had a manner about him that could calm her down in less than three-and-a-half seconds. She motioned for him to bend down and muttered a healing charm. Instantly, his nose was no longer broken and bleeding but perfectly fine and repaired. She pointed the wand to the floor and instantly, the blood was no longer there either._

_Silently, she replaced the wand into the first aid box. She turned to the doorframe but no longer saw Sirius there. She strolled into the kitchen and saw Sirius standing at the counter, cracking eggs._

_"Go get dressed, I'll make you breakfast." Sirius told her. Angie suddenly became beet-red as she realised she was still in her knickers. Sirius smiled at her modesty and watched her turn to leave through the swinging door, suddenly noticing the picture sticking out of her knickers._

_Angie walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. A few moments later, she was standing beneath the showerhead, replaying the events of the morning in her mind. Sirius had seen her naked chest, she had taken a picture of his shocked face, and he had chased her into the kitchen and broke his nose on the swinging door, which she had treated. Now he was standing in her kitchen, making her breakfast. What was happening to her?_

_Angie continued with her shower routine, turning the water off when she was done. She pulled a towel around her body, grabbed her stuff from the counter and strolled out of the bathroom and into her room. She closed the door behind her and quickly got dressed. When she had finished getting dressed, she returned to the bathroom and brushed her teeth._

_Downstairs, Sirius continued with breakfast. Sirius wasn't bad with a knife and frying pan. During the period of time Angie had spent getting dressed and whatnot, he had managed to make scrambled eggs, breakfast sausages and hash browns. He knew it was her favourite breakfast._

_"Wow! I can't believe you still remember my favourite breakfast. I thought you had forgotten." Angie exclaimed with joy as she strolled into the kitchen._

_"Angie, I'm hurt." Sirius said with a pained look upon his face. "I could never forget my best-girl-friend's favourite breakfast!"_

_Angie bowed her head in apology and hugged him. "Sorry Sirius. You've just been so occupied with the girls you've been juggling that I thought you had forgotten about me."_

_Sirius pulled her from him and solemnly told her, "I could never forget about you." He pulled a chair from the table and motioned for her to sit._

_Angie sat down and he tucked her in before sitting at his own place beside her. He was still hurt that she could contemplate such a thing. Angie saw this and decided to change the subject._

_"So, you remembered it's my birthday today. What shall we do?" She asked him._

_His eyes lit up as he went through the agenda in his mind. "Well, after breakfast, we're going to go to James' house."_

_"James' house?" Angie questioned. "Why are we going to James' house? I thought he was in Majorca."_

_"He just got back today."_

_"Oh." Angie said as she polished off the remnants of her breakfast. "Thank you, Sirius. It was delicious."_

_"Anything for you, my dear." He said as he picked up the plates and towed them to the sink. Angie rose to help him with the dishes before being told to sit down and relax since it was her birthday. She watched Sirius wash the dishes the muggle way, noticing how his eyebrows scrunch up whenever he could not get something stuck to the pan off it. After a few moments, they made their way to the fireplace and flooed themselves to the Potter Mansion._

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

_Angie stepped out of the fireplace a couple minutes after Sirius. She entered the dark living room to find no one there. Confused, she took a couple more steps into the room. The fire behind her returned to its normal orangey colour. Just then…_

_"SURPRISE!" a chorused yell came out as her friends jumped out from behind the couches. They had managed to scare her bad enough that she almost fell back into the fireplace. Luckily for her, Sirius caught her before she managed to do so._

_"Happy birthday, Angie." They chorused._

_James, Remus, Lily, Katie, Devin and Julie were there, beaming smiles at her. She was later told that Peter was away in Canada, visiting family but that he sent her the best birthday wishes. They turned and open the curtains to let the sunlight in the beautiful room._

_James took it upon himself to be the birthday host, as it was his house. They spent the day in the backyard, playing in the lake. They had chicken fights that ended with four topless girls, clutching their chests. Lily had figured out why she was on Sirius' shoulders and Angie on James'. It seemed that the boys had figured that they would be able to see the girl-of-their-obsession's chest if they did so. Angie, for the second time that day, found herself in the same predicament as when she had awoken._

_After they climbed out of the lake (the girls managed to pull the boy's trunks and run away with them into the house) and ran to the mansion (regaining their trunks somewhere along the way). They ate lunch before settling down in the living room once more, curtains drawn to watch a muggle movie: 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'. As they watched the movie, it became apparent that most of them were quite taken aback with it. The only two who were not were Lily and Angie. Angie had seen it before with Lily's family and thus explained why the two had jumped up to do the Time Warp._

_The two girls jumped to the left, stepped to the right, put their hands on their hips and brought their knees in tight. It was, however, the pelvic thrust that rendered the boys insane and shocked to the core. If they relayed this information about Lily at school, no one would believe them. It was understandable for Angie but **not** Lily._

_However, the fun did not stop there. Lily and Angie sang along with Frank as he sang Sweet Transvestite. The line "I'm just a sweet transvestite, From Transsexual Transylvania, hah hah" crossed the boys' line. They stared at the girls with fear and anticipation. Silently, Angie and Lily repressed their next urges and viewed the remainder of the film in piece._

_"Honestly! I don't know how you two managed to watch that out of free will!" James exclaimed, shocked._

_"I know! He was a transvestite!' Sirius exclaimed after him._

_"From Transsexual Transylvania." Lily and Angie added in before they burst out laughing once more._

_It was then that Mrs. Potter came into the living room and ushered them into the dining room. No one was aware that Mrs. Potter had arrived. She explained that she had entered the house through what was known as "the front door". Dinner was served and then was the cake as everyone gathered around Angie to sing her 'Happy Birthday'. After that, Angie was given gifts. _

_James gave Angie a book titled The Witch's Companion For Hexing, Cursing and Brewing The Living Daylights Out Of Traitors and Enemies. Everyone proceeded to joke about how Sirius ought to remain on Angie's good side for earlier that year Sirius had let one of Angie's deepest secrets out quite loudly during breakfast. Lily bought Angie a copy of "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Young Frankenstein". Remus gave Angie The Aspiring Healer's Guide To Curing Almost Everything. Katie and Julie had taken it upon themselves of finding Angie the largest collection of hair ties, clips, and bobby pins. Devin had given her a gift certificate for Honeydukes. Sirius simply told her that he would give her her gift upon returning home._

_They then moved to James' room where they began to exchange stories about previous escapades and events in each others' life. Sirius had brought up how Angie had kissed a frog in hopes of finding Prince Charming when she was five. To counter that, Angie told of a time when Sirius had cried for 'Mummy' during fifth grade. Devin told of a time when James still played with dolls and James told of a time when he'd filled Devin's gym shoes with itching powder. Stories like that were told until Angie had passed out on Sirius, Lily on James, Julie on Remus and Katie on Devin._

_"I think we ought to pull a trick on them." Devin said quietly._

_"Yeah!" James chimed in._

_Sirius and James shook their heads, thinking better of it. "Devin, James, if you haven't forgotten, 'Hell hath no fury like the scorn of a woman.'" Remus stated wisely._

_"That and besides, James, don't you remember what you bought Angie for her birthday? I have no intention of carrying you down to the hospital wing or to your mother- depending on when they decide to react- in a matchbox." Sirius quipped up._

_"Kill joy." Uttered James. They then decided to wake up the girls and bring them to their respective homes. One by one, the boys stepped through the fireplace except for James. Instead, he placed Lily on his broomstick next to him and flew her home._

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

_Sirius stepped through the fireplace of Number 11 Grimauld Place. Her parents still weren't home from St. Mungo's and her younger brother was at sleep-away camp. He quietly carried her up the stairs in his arms, bag over his shoulders. He quietly opened the door and laid her gently on the bed. She seemed to sense the change in placement since her eyes fluttered open, as he was about to leave._

_"Wait. Where are you going?" She called to him sleepily._

_He turned toward her and smiled. "Home."_

_"You don't have to, do you?" She asked him._

_He stood there, shocked. Had she just asked him to stay with her? "Well, no, I don't." He stammered. He was losing his touch, wasn't he?_

_"Well, could you stay with me?" She asked. She was in the process of removing her shorts._

_"Sure." He said as he took off his tee shirt and shorts. He climbed in first, lying on the side closest to the wall. He waited for her to come to bed before throwing the covers over them. Once again, he found himself with a scantily clad Angie only this time she was snuggled into his chest and arms. "Happy Birthday, Angie." He whispered in her hair before he fell asleep._

_The next morning was just as strange as the previous morning. Mr. Benson had come to check up on Angie and had found her in Sirius' arms, both without shirts. Needless to say, Mrs. Benson had to calm Mr. Benson down before he went to work._

_That left Angie and Sirius blushing madly when they woke up in each other's arms._

* * *

Now, Angie found herself alone in the girls' dormitories. Everyone else had gone to dinner while Angie thought of that day. Sure, it began awkward and it ended awkward but the middle was great. In retrospect, Angie could honestly say that that had truly been one of the best days of her life. 

One thought continued to cloud her mind though: how did she feel about Sirius Black?

**A/N: I need an editor. I do believe I've made various mistakes in the chapter. No need to tell me. I was just so eager to post my story. Anyway, please do review. I tend to feel much more motivated to continue after I read the words of someone telling me what they think of my previous words. So, ****clickez la bouton!**


	2. F N S

Chapter 2: F.N.S.

"Angie?"

"…"

"Angiiee?"

"…"

"Earth to Angie…."

"…"

"LILY TO ANGIE!"

Angie jumped five feet in the air, clearly taken aback. "Sweet Merlin! For the love of Circe, please tell me why you were trying to scare the living daylights out of me!" She exclaimed as she gasped for breath.

"You were dazed. I called you three times before that last one." Lily stated, taking a seat next to Angie on her bed. "You weren't at dinner tonight. Why?"

"I didn't feel hungry." Angie replied, hoping that it will suffice for Lily.

"Liar." Lily said shattering all hopes Angie had of being able to get away from this one. "Tell me what's wrong, Angie. You're my best friend. You can tell me anything."

"I'm just slightly confused, that's all." Angie sighed simply, still hoping Lily would leave her be.

"About what?" Lily continued to pry. This was her best friend. She was not even that close with her_ sister_.

Angie sighed, clearly understanding that she will not receive and rest until she tells Lily what exactly is plaguing her mind. "Well, ever since my birthday, I've just been completely confused."

Lily wrapped her arms around Angie, "Angie, there's nothing truly difficult about being sixteen."

Angie hung her head. Lily had completely missed the point. "No, it's not that. I mean something happened that day that I didn't tell you about." Angie looked to see a shocked Lily. "Before you cut me off, please let me try to explain it first." Angie received a nod from Lily. "Well, that day, I managed to take _the_ picture of Sirius Black looking like a fish with a Polaroid Camera in my room. Naturally, after I took it, I ran out of my room and into the kitchen. He followed me but forgot about the swinging door and broke his nose-"

"And ended up getting Florence Nightingale Syndrome." Lily finished for her.

"You said you wouldn't cut me off!" Angie cried, clearly feeling betrayed.

"I never said it." Lily explained to a scowling Angie. "Ok, well, I may have done something to that effect."

"Okay, so now that we've determined that I have F.N.S., what do I do?" Angie asked. Both girls then began to ponder Angie's predicament.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

"Oi! Sirius!" James called to his best friend. They were supposed to be planning the next prank that night. However, due to Sirius' obvious mental absence, they had not been able to go forward with it.

Sirius looked at James, waiting for him to reveal the point of waking him from his reverie about a certain girl's birthday.

"We're planning a prank today. We can't go forward with it if you're off thinking about a girl." James told him sternly. He did not know why his best friend was acting so strangely. Earlier, Sirius never let a girl eat at his thoughts like this and then BANG! summer came and suddenly Sirius was different, tied down, considerate- _mature_.

"Sorry Jamesie. I was off thinking about other things." Sirius replied nonchalantly.

"Sirius, you never act like this. The last time I saw your eyes glazed over like this was when you realized that Angie was in fact a girl." Remus remarked before he snorted.

Sirius flinched. It was a little too close to home for his comfort. The day he realized Angie was a girl had almost cost him their friendship.

* * *

_Last December, it had been announced that the fifth years were to attend the Christmas Ball. As a result, the entire year rushed at the opportunity of buying dress robes. Another result was that many girls were hoping to accompany Sirius, James and Remus to the ball. Everyone knew, however, that James would ask Lily. What they did not expect, though, was that Lily would accept._

_Sirius chose to ask Rachelle Collins. Rachelle, of course, said 'yes' and that was that._

_Remus chose a girl from Hufflepuff and, just like that, the coveted three were taken._

_Anticipation was high in the air as the weeks that led to the formal passed quickly. Sirius was unaware that Ravenclaw pretty-boy Chase Trevors had asked Angie. As a result, when Angie came down that night, there was hell to pay._

_"Hey Angie. You look really pretty." James said as Angie descended the stairs that led to the girls' dormitories._

_Angie wore light blue dress robes that hugged all of her curves, accentuated her eyes and brought out her inner beauty. Her mid-back brown hair had been left down, framing her face. Her subtle makeup consisted of a bit of blush and Chap Stick._

_"You look stunning, Angie." Remus complemented her._

_Just then, Sirius came down the stairs, laughing. "Hey, Remus, who's the girl you're talking to and how come I've never seen her before?" He'd called to him. He knew he'd said something wrong when Remus' and James' jaws dropped. Angie was seething, utter curses of death upon him._

_"Sirius! It's Angie! How is it that you don't recognize one of your oldest friends!" James yelled. For effect, the entire common room suddenly quietened and all eyes were turned on Sirius and Angie._

_Sirius did a double-take before yelling out, "Angie's a GIRL!" The common room erupted with laughter and a very hurt Angelica Benson stormed out of the room._

_He'd known her for ELEVEN years and yet he didn't realize she was a girl? Angie fought back tears: tears she did not know were there. He had just issued one of the biggest blows to her ego. His simple observation made her question herself to look into the nearest mirror in a bathroom to check if she resembled a boy in any way or if she was ugly._

_As she left the room pondering what she could have to make Sirius believe otherwise, Chase Trevors suddenly appeared before her._

_"Hey. I was going to meet you in the Great hall but I decided to venture up to the Gryffindor Tower to get you." He explained as she looked at him stunned. "Wow, Angie, you look beautiful."_

_"Thanks Chase." She replied before adding, "You don't look too bad yourself."_

_Chase grinned and offered her his arm before they made their way into the Great Hall. Decorations had been put up and the long house tables had been replaced with circular tables for ten instead. An area had been cleared off for dancing and a stage had been put up for a deejay. Chase began to steer her where the Marauders were already seated but Angie shook her head._

_"Let's go sit with your friends instead." She suggested._

_"Alright." Chase said as they turned from the table and strolled in the opposite direction._

_It was then confirmed to Remus that what Sirius had said earlier had truly hurt her. Remus turned to Sirius, about to say something when Sirius beat him to it._

_"Where's she going?" Sirius asked, completely clueless._

_"My guess is that she's giving you the cold shoulder. The last time she did that, you had turned her hair blue." Remus remarked._

_"But I don't get it," Sirius stated, "I didn't turn her hair blue this time."_

_Lily looked at Sirius and gave him a death glare. "How dense are you, Black? You insulted her when you 'discovered' she's a girl."_

_"Oh." Sirius mumbled as he realized the error in his ways. He was rarely on Angie's bad side. Whenever he was, though, he could never wait to be back on her good side. It struck him then that Angie was the only one he would behave for. _

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

_That night, after dinner had been served, Angie danced with Chase. Not too far behind them were Rachelle and Sirius. Sirius was determined to keep an eye on Angie the entire night, looking for the perfect opportunity to cut in and apologize to Angie. Sirius was giving up hope when Rachelle said she was going to take a seat as her feet hurt. Sirius mentally jumped for joy as he left her to cut in on Angie and Chase._

_Angie was finally having a good time after she managed to chase the scene from the common room out of her mind. Chase was very nice and smiling at her. Suddenly, she saw Sirius behind him and her mood turned sour._

_"Chase, may I cut in?" Sirius asked politely. Chase looked at Angie, shrugged his shoulders and left. Sirius took Angie's hand in his and placed the other on her waist. "Angie, I'm sorry about what I said earlier."_

_"Really? Are you sure about that or are you just saying that to dissuade me from filling your shoes with itching powder?" Angie seethed. Her anger had returned._

_"I'm serious, Angie. Hear me out." Sirius pleaded and continued when Angie gave him a curt nod. "You just hang around with us so much that I forget sometimes. I mean, last month, you beat us all in burping competition. I've never met any other girl who could do that. As children, we played in the mud together while the other girls played with their dollies. But Angie, don't take that the wrong way. I wouldn't change you for the world."_

_Angie felt her anger toward him subside as they danced. She did not want to him off the hook so easily but he had always been able to waltz back into her good graces so easily. Ever since that first time they had met as children he had been able to weasel his way out of her wrath. "Fine. You're forgiven." Angie said. He smiled, hugged her and left to return to his date. She made her way to Chase soon afterwards._

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

_The next day, she had still put itching powder in his shoes… Just for good measure.

* * *

_

Sirius shook the memory from his head. That day had been quite an eventful day and not one that he would like to relive. He was unaware of three pairs of eyes were resting on him as he took his walk down memory lane.

"So, it _is_ Angie." James smirked. Finally, he had teasing material on Sirius again.

"Oh, do tell!" Peter piped up. Peter was enough of a gossip that he could've passed for a girl and none would be the wiser.

"It's NOT about Angie!" Sirius yelled, betrayed by his cheeks that glowed stoplight-red.

"Sirius, you've lied to a werewolf and two people who clearly aren't blind to the change in colour in your cheeks." Remus warned.

'Damn them!' Sirius thought. There was no way he would be able to escape it this time. Concerning the fact that Angie was a dear friend of his, he relayed the events of Angie's birthday. "The morning of Angie's sweet sixteen, I went to her window and woke her up. She caught me staring at her funny, I made an ugly face; she took a picture of it and ran out the door. She ran to her kitchen and the bloody swinging door caught me in the face and broke my nose. Angie, being the aspiring healer that she is, treated it. She was numbing my nose with an ice cube, sitting on my lap when I realized what a looker my best friend is. Ever since then, I haven't been able to get my mind off her." To say Sirius could never behave like a gentleman was an unfair assumption. He could be very sweet if one were close enough to him.

Remus nodded his head, completely understanding what Sirius' was talking about. "You, my friend," Remus philosophized, "have Florence Nightingale Syndrome."

Sirius scrunched his nose, clearly having never heard of the ruddy syndrome before. Moreover, to his current knowledge, he was perfectly healthy. "What the hell's 'Florence Nightingale Syndrome'?" He questioned, anger and malice being evident in his tone.

"It's a muggle term for when a person falls for his or her doctor/nurse/healer." James explained simply.

"Since when are you interested in muggle stuff, James?" Sirius asked. He could have slapped himself. The answer was so obvious: Lily. "Never mind, don't answer that."

"Hey, you wanted to know." James said calmly.

"So, Sirius, what're you gonna do?" Peter asked Sirius tentatively, evidently aware that it was none of his business.

Sirius, on the other hand, let Peter's question slide. His course of action was going to be a difficult one. If it hadn't been Angie who had caught his attention, he would have done the same thing he did last year: go after her. However, as fate would seem to have it, it was Angie that had his attention. With much thought, he arrived to two conclusions: he could chance his friendship with her and go after her or he could hope that it was just a phase. If it were just a phase, the only way to chase it out- in his mind- would be to preoccupy himself with someone else and hopefully that would be the end of it.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Angie and Lily continued to throw options into the air, none of them seeming to be the solution. It was now that they had reached the same conclusions as Sirius.

"You could go over there and tell him how you feel." Lily said, truthfully.

"Or I could pass it off as a phase and keep my concentration on something else." Angie suggested, preferring the later to the former.

Lily guffawed. "Don't you mean _someone_ else?"

"Hm… That could actually work." Angie said. "I'm gonna get me a man."

"With blond hair and a tan?" Lily suggested musically.

"That'd be an added bonus." Angie said, glad to finally have come to some sort of conclusion. "So Lily, what happened that night when James flew you home?" she decided to change the subject, noticing that they had spent too much time focusing on her.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

"Sirius? Anyone home?" James asked, passing his hand in front of Sirius' eyes.

Sirius came out of his thoughts. He had suddenly come to a conclusion of actual substance. "I need to get me a girl." He stated simply.

"Are you talking about Angie?" Remus questioned, inner curiosity getting the best of him.

"No. I need a girl other than Angie. I could never jeopardize what I have with her." Sirius said simply. "So, I suppose we can get on with planning the next prank."

"We're working on a schedule if we want to make it in time for next week." Remus stated as he observed a calendar tacked to the wall.

"Alright, then. Let's get cracking." Sirius said as all attention was then diverted to the upcoming prank.

**A/N: Whoohoo! Now they have an idea! Yee haw! I wish I had one. Nah, I kid. I have ideas. Speaking of which, they ought to make it to paper before I forget them. Anyway, I'll take care of that; you take care of pushing the little purple button that says "Submit Review". Cookies for the first reviewer.**

**P.S: I believe the first cookie goes out to Inwe Tasartir. Or do you prefer popcorn? (A friend of mine works for a popcorn store)**


	3. The Art Of Writing Notes

**Chapter 3: The Art Of Writing Notes**

Angie was disappointed to hear that nothing of significance had transpired the night James flew her home. She did have the pleasure of seeing Lily squirm and blush like the schoolgirl with a crush she was as Angie mentioned James though. Angie knew that, even though Lily maintained to the rest of the school that she felt nothing other than pure hatred towards James Potter, Lily had a large crush on the boy that threatened to overthrow her existence. It was just a matter of when and where.

Lily was a complex being and it did not help that she was also a girl. It would be stereotypical and even on the brink of chauvinistic to say so but the fact that Angie herself did not understand Lily sometimes only further proves the point. When asked about why she did not accept any of James' offers to go out, Lily always argued that it would be out of character for her to do so. Furthermore, she suspected if she would go from hating every single fibre of his being to swooning puppy-dog eyes in the three seconds flat, she would earn the reputation of being bipolar. In Lily's mind, reputation was the most valuable possession that a person had. Lily was a true Michael Cassio.

Angie wished her situation were as easy as Lily's. To Angie, being bipolar would just be more fun and ensure the presence of more spice in her scheduled life. It would be a lot easier for her if she were coming from pure hatred than the age-old best friend epic.

Angie was a romantic and, in consequence, knew that her situation had the potential for two scenarios: it could sweep her off her feet and take her to "And they live happily ever after" or it could destroy everything they had survived together and potentially ruin their status as friends. Thus began her move toward distraction.

Her campaign, "Operation Desperado" (as they had taken to calling it), had not really progressed much. It had been a week since she had decided to divert her attention from her attractive neighbour and best friend. She had even put more effort into her appearance, treating her lips periodically with lip chap and taking the time to style her hair in the morning. Her dorm mates had all noticed the change in Angie's demeanour and pried at her daily for the answers she gave only to Lily.

Today, Angie decided to clasp the hairs that fell into her eyes back- not quite holding it all back- and applying lip-gloss. This was a sign that Angie was taking out the big guns. Actually, aside from her blush, lip-gloss and Chap Stick were the only articles Angie owned that could be remotely described as 'makeup'.

So, here she sat in the Great Hall at breakfast, thirty minutes away from her first class: Transfiguration. Angie sat at the table, quietly observing the words on the pages of the chapter she supposed to have read the previous night. She nibbled her toast, unaware that a few seats over, her best friend stared at her, thinking about how cute she was at the moment. When she turned the page, she suddenly became aware of a figure behind her.

"Hi, Angie." A boy's voice came from behind her.

Angie turned around to see Chase Trevors filling the seat next to her. Out of the corner of her eye, she remarked an indifferent Sirius Black staring at his cereal, possibly scouring the bowl to see if the meaning of life had taken the form of Cheerios. "What brings you here, Chase?"

Chase suddenly turned red. "Well, you look pretty today."

A mischievous thought entered Angie's mind. "As opposed to what?" Angie questioned as she arched an eyebrow. She could hear sniggers from the Marauders and gave up her angry façade for a smile. 'Damn them!' she thought.

"Not opposed to anything. I'm just stating a fact." Chase defended himself.

"Nice save. But tell me, why state it today and not yesterday or tomorrow?" Angie continued her fun. She really ought to stop at some point, like now.

"Well, you see," Chase began, "a friend of mine's a prefect and he told me that there's an upcoming trip to Hogsmeade on Saturday. Iwaswonderingifyoudgowithme."

Angie blinked for a moment. She had understood the last part but decided that putting the poor boy through it once more would be much more fun. "Come again?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to go with me." Chase articulated once more.

Down the table, Sirius tried to convince himself that no matter what she said, he did not care. Angie was his friend and that was the end of it. So why was he acting strangely toward Angie? He was supposed to be finding himself a girl.

"Sure." Angie accepted. She laughed to herself. Chase never changed. He was still the same shy and nervous fifteen-year-old boy who had asked her to the Ball last year.

As if on cue, a ball of energy flung its arms around Angie's neck, almost breaking it in the process of giving her a hug. Angie turned around to see an eleven-year-old boy with the same brown hair and blue eyes as her own. The boy's face laughed its eleven years of existence as Angie identified him as her brother. Cetus Benson loved his sister.

"Morning, Angie!" He greeted her cheerfully as he sat to her right. Like his sister, he loved his toast. Ergo, he grabbed a couple slices before directing his attention to grabbing the marmalade.

"Good morning to you too, Cetus." Angie returned the salutation as she continued to stare at her brother. He seemed oblivious to Chase and that suited her fine.

"I'll see you around, Angie." Chase whispered to her as he left.

"Cetus, what do you need help with this time?" Sirius asked the boy. Cetus had, in the very short span of three days, become a regular when it came to needing help with homework.

Cetus looked at Sirius indignantly. "Honestly, Black, you waste no time in jumping at my pride." Cetus voiced indignantly. "What makes you think I need something anyway?"

Angie snorted to the last comment. "Cetus, since when are you here except for when you need something? Besides, you don't take to attempting to break my neck every morning either… Except on Christmas."

"Does the word 'breakfast' mean anything to you?" Cetus questioned calmly. "Honestly, where do you think I manage to get my energy from?"

"The pixie sticks you keep in your trunk." Angie answered. She then realized what it meant on Cetus' part. "Having trouble in Charms, are we?"

"Most definitely not. I'm not having any trouble with any of my schoolwork." Cetus answered. "Might I talk to you privately later, though?"

"I don't see why you can't say what you have to in front of them." Angie said.

"Angie, it's quite personal." He stated. "Something on personal on your behalf." He whispered in her ear.

"Alright." Angie said. She looked at her watch to see that she had less than ten minutes before Transfiguration. "Well, I've got to go to class. You all should do the same." She suggested as she made her way out the door.

"Stop trying to be Lily!" Sirius called to the door.

"Only when you stop trying to be James!" Angie called back, earning the laughter from the table.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Angie arrived in Transfiguration quite early with her eyes still glued to her book. She took a seat in the middle of the class, set her book on the desk and glanced at the empty class around her. Soon, a loud and full classroom would replace the quiet and empty classroom that lay before her. With that in mind, she relished in the moment, not realizing that someone had come in after her.

"Angie, doll, care if I sit next to you this class?" a sly and smooth voice asked her.

"Sure. Be my guest." Angie replied.

Sirius took a seat next to her and began to observe her. It baffled him to see his best friend actually preparing for the class. It further confounded him because they had learned this chapter last year on their own accord. Not to mention that there was a lack of major exams at the end of the year.

"Angie dear, why are you reading that? We learned it last year." Sirius questioned. A thought occurred to him: maybe she was sick? It would explain her current behaviour.

"I just thought I'd refresh my memory, you know? Give the little hamster up there" she pointed to her head "a jog."

"Oh really?" Sirius asked. Inwardly, it did nothing to calm his mind.

"Yeah."

"Ok." Sirius paused for a moment, wondering if he should risk asking what was really on his mind, "So, what'd Chase want?"

Angie looked at him and stared deeply into his grey orbs. They held pools of emotion, the only part of his face that did not veil his emotions. They showed curiosity, laughter, lust and- was that jealousy? "He asked me to the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. So now I've got a date on Saturday."

"Is that so?" He mused, hiding the hurt in his voice. Deep down inside, he was very well aware that he was by no means to fall in love with his best friend. It was his eyes that betrayed him though.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" She questioned. She refused to believe that the jealousy- and now pain- in his eyes were for her. Of course not, that would be a selfish thought.

"Just curious." He said. At that moment, the students filed into the classroom in small herds and Professor McGonagall took her place at the front of the class to begin the class.

"Good morning. Nice to see every one awake." McGonagall greeted the class, "I'm afraid I can't say that you're all bright and awake, though." She said as she eyed a nearly unconscious Peter. The class sniggered but Peter did not seem to notice and, with a bang, his skull met hard wood as he began to dream of cheese. "Well," She sighed, "Today we shall begin with human transfiguration. Anyone have a clue as to how this came about?" Immediately, a hand shot up in the air and an answer was droned out. It would have been respectful if everyone paid attention to the student but, naturally, five dropped their attention.

Today, the Gryffindors shared the Transfiguration class with the Ravenclaws. That meant that as soon as McGonagall diverted her attention to the board, a note appeared on Angie's desk. She looked around the class for its sender but everyone seemed to be paying attention.

_Angie._

_Meet me outside the classroom after class. I need to talk to you._

_Chase._

Great. He wasn't too bright since he'd signed his name. Angie sighed and then wrote a single word on the parchment before sending it back.

Manipulating the limited vision the corner of his eye provided, Sirius observed the note on Angie's desk before writing her one of his own. The note however, would not make sense if one took it for what it actually said.

He and Angie had been using codes ever since their third grade teacher caught them passing notes during math class. During an after school special of gum scrapping, the pair had decided to make up their own language that both committed to memory soon afterwards. Eight years later, they were professionals when it came to reading the scrambled messages of gibberish as if it were in everyday English…that it was, to some extent.

_Cu, oui'na kuehk uid fedr Lryca, ar? Taletat du keja ed yhudran ku cehla mycd oayn dinhat uid cu famm?_

He slid the parchment to her side of the table for two and casually went back to appearing as though he was taking notes. He was a master actor as it was a family trademark. They were known for being able to cover their tracks easily, although their tracks were darker than his.

Angie glanced at the parchment and read the message behind the scramble of letters. She made a face at the message. _So, you're going out with Chase, eh? Decided to give it another go since last year turned out so well?_ The parchment read.

She took her quill from her note book and scribbled her message back.

_Vihho, dryd ymsucd cuihtat zaymuic. Dnoehk du damm sa cusadrehk, Pmylg?_

Pid oayr, E ys kuehk uid uh y tyda fedr Lryca. E tuh'd drehg ed ryc yhodrehk du tu fedr mycd oayn... Ra fyc zicd paehk hela du sa. E zicd vekinat dryd ed't pa hela du ku uh y tyda ykyeh, oui ghuf? Fyed y sehida; E's dymgehk du Ceneic Pmylg... Sn. E'ja-Ymfyoc-Kud-Y-Tyda. Famm, buhtan dra brahusahy.

She slipped the parchment back to Sirius and redirected her attention to the blackboard. There was writing and diagrams that adorned the board. Finding a place to begin would present itself as her next challenge. She sighed and decided to give up trying to take notes. Sirius was right: she did know this already.

Sirius glanced down at the paper and almost choked on his saliva. The paper revealed that he had been too transparent to his comrade as the words in the opening sentence sneered at him. Sneered at him? He was not aware that words could _sneer_.

_Funny, that almost sounded jealous. Trying to tell me something, Black?_

But yeah, I am going out on a date with Chase. I don't think it has anything to do with last year... He was just being nice to me. I just figured that it'd be nice to go on a date again, you know? Wait a minute; I'm talking to Sirius Black... Mr. I've-Always-Got-A-Date. Well, ponder the phenomena.

He stared at the words carefully. He was about to write a response to it when class was finally dismissed. He picked up the parchment, not caring if anyone saw its contents: it was claptrap. He met up with James and the others for Divination. Angie would be off to Arithmacy and he would not see her again until the class after next as they had Potions after that.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Angie met up with Chase once she managed to leave the classroom. Sirius' mood had been darkened after he had read her note. He skulked out the door and began his trek to the Divination tower. Chase, however, appeared cheery.

"Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to eat lunch with me." Chase told her. He was apparently much more assertive than he had been this morning. He was looking into her eyes and not the floor; he did not slouch in front of her. Overall, his demeanour was that of… well, Sirius. This struck her as odd.

"Sure." Angie answered him. She was supposed to be distracting herself from Sirius… not focusing her attention on a wannabe clone.

"Great. I'll meet you at the entrance to the Hall." He replied before he kissed her cheek and ran off to Ancient Runes.

Angie touched the spot where his lips had touched her cheek, dazed by it. He was quite bold for someone who had upchucked his words at her this morning. Not to mention that he had only asked her out this morning.

"Angie! Arithmacy is this way!" Lily called to her, pointing to the opposite direction in which she had been walking.

"Oh, thanks Lily." Angie blushed as she turned to the direction in which Lily was pointing.

"No problem." Lily told her. "So, are you going to give me the 411?"

"Yeah." Angie said and launched into a complete and thorough report on the previous events.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

During their respective elective classes, both Angie and Sirius thought back through their childhood together.

* * *

_On a bright May day, the azure sky was devoid of condensation. The rays of sunlight made their way to the earth below without any inference._

_In a park, a little girl of four years old sat on a swing, propelling herself forward to a peak before gravity acted upon her and brought her back to the earth. With the help of momentum, the girl went further backward in a pendulous trajectory. Her hands gripped the iron chain to keep herself from flying forward. Today she was going to do it. Today, she was going to arch over the swing and make it to the other side._

_The sand below her gleamed white as diffuse reflection gave it depth. The crushed rocks and minerals absorbed the sunlight, reaching temperatures above that of the internal body. Obtuse and acute angles made asymmetrical grains menacing but not enough to instil fear. The children still sauntered across it barefooted._

_Next to the sand-filled playground, a four-year-old boy made his way along the asphalt path that separated the playground from ominous pine trees on his tricycle. He pedaled forward, pushing himself to go faster when one of the minor tires snagged the edge of the path, curving his balance toward the left, throwing him to the grass on his left. His tricycle fell with him, lying sideways over his left leg. The force of impact that his shoulder had endured was nothing next to that of a penny from the Empire State Building but nevertheless it still hurt._

_The girl was a few swings away from going over the top when she witnessed the boy's tricycle wipe out. Overcome with panic, she jumped off the swing and landed gracefully on all fours in a catlike position before running over to the boy. The white-hot sand attempted to hurt her feet but she ignored it. She felt it everyday when her mother called her home and had thus grown accustomed to it about two months ago._

_She reached the path and called out to the boy, "Hey! Are you alright?" Her parents had taught her to be nice to everyone and to help those in need. In her eyes, this boy was in need. In her eyes, the boy was a bug caught under a flyswatter._

_"I'm fine. I think I scraped my knee on the pedal but that's okay. My shoulder hurts though. I think I'll have a bruise there tomorrow." He replied casually. He was a boy and what boys did best was gloat to each other over how they had managed to acquire their various injuries._

_The girl had managed to pull the tricycle off of him in the meantime. She had pushed it off to the side. She then offered her hand to the boy to help him up as she informed him, "My name is Angelica Benson. What's yours?"_

_The boy took her hand but made no move to get up. Instead, he pulled her with all his might to the ground next to her. "My name's Sirius Black." He grinned at her._

_"That wasn't very nice of you, Sirius Black." She pouted as she nursed her left wrist. She had fallen directly onto her knees and had stuck her left hand out to prevent her face from becoming a part of the grass. "I suppose I'll have to punish you."_

_She sprang forward from where she had landed and rode off on his tricycle._

_Sirius sat there, mouth agape as a **girl** made off with **his** tricycle. As far as he knew, girls did not ride tricycles. "Hey! Come back here with that!" He cried as he ran after her._

_She had not gotten that far when she stopped. She turned around and watched the boy running toward her. He was about to reach her when she darted off to the house next to his upon hearing her mother declare dinner._

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

_The next day, was another beautiful May day. This time, however, there were fluffy white clouds in the sky. Some resembled sheep while others resembled rabbits, boats, dogs, whatever one's imagination came up with._

_Angelica was still there in the park, attempting to loop the swing bar. The sand below her glared at her in defiance of its size, daring her to set foot on it once more. She continued on her journey to the top, swinging her legs in and out to gain velocity. She was at mid point when she noticed a boy take up the swing next to her. It was the same boy from yesterday. Sirius._

_He mimicked Angelica's movements and soon enough he was at even height with her. Before the pull of gravity brought him back down, Sirius observed the scene before him: the castle in the far left corner with an ominous slide that plummeted to the pit of lava below; the line of vines that hung over a moat filled with hungry alligators and led to the castle where a fair maiden resided; a bridge in the middle of nowhere that provided shelter to an angry ogre that ate children; the muggle contraption that moved large amounts of sand so that a path to the Orient may be made; the still catapults beside him that were devoid of objects to hurl across the land. This was his and hers._

_He looked over to Angelica and dared her, "On the count of three, let's jump into the lava and save the fair lady from the witch in the castle!" His face sported a wide grin and his eyes reflected his mischievous nature._

_"1… 2… 3!" He counted before two four-year-old bodies flung themselves from the swings and broke to a sprint across the ground, minimizing the contact with the 'lava' below and running to the 'vines' to rescue the damsel in distress.

* * *

_

That day had been the beginning of a marvellous friendship: the bond that held two souls together.

* * *

_Mrs. Crabables' third grade classroom was a room that was not like the others. It was a room that had twenty-eight desks individually named and formed a horseshoe about the room. It would have been a circle had it not been cut off for the teacher's desk. A blackboard was behind the desk and neat cursive writing spanned the top of the board with instructions to perform two- digit-multiplication. Below the writing were a few examples followed by the problems they were to complete in their workbooks._

_Twenty-six kids worked diligently on their arithmetic while two of them feigned concentration. Twenty-eight pencils scratched: twenty-seven of them forming different numbers; one of them etching letters into a sheet of loose-leaf. All twenty-eight heads were bent over paper._

_Mrs. Crabables circled the room, satisfied with the course of the day's teachings. There had not been much defiance on Benson and Black's part. The old woman looked over every child's shoulder to make sure that he or she was on the right track. She passed from child to child to whisper the error in their ways as to not embarrass them in front of the class._

_Mrs. Crabables was an old woman with a reputation of being a strict teacher who built confidence by not picking on children. Her grey chicken-hairs wisped about her face while the majority of her hair was held back in a tight bun. Her horn-rimmed glasses shielded old grey eyes and rested upon a hooked nose. The crow's-feet that formed around her eyes were badges of honour: marks of battles against snot-nosed children. Her clothes were old and out of date: the final grasps of the 1900's before it surrendered the battle against time and progress. Overall, she was an all right lady in the eyes of the students._

_A few desks from where she currently was, an eight-year-old Sirius Black scribbled an untidy message in chicken-scratch to the girl beside him. He was deeply enraptured in the note that he did not realize that Mrs. Crabables had made her way toward him. Her figure towered over the boy, scrutinizing him under her gaze. It was only when her shadow appeared on the page did Sirius take note of the old lady behind him. Instantly, his head shot up and her hand snatched the paper from his desk._

_She lifted the paper to her face to read the contents of the letter. Instantly, her face twisted itself into a scowl as she crumpled the paper. Twenty-eight pairs of eyes rested on Mrs. Crabables as one pair scrutinized two eight-year-olds before them. "Mr. Black, Ms. Benson, what do you have to say for yourselves?" She barked at them._

_Sirius spoke up first, "We didn't do it!" He blurted out dumbly and defensively. The class erupted in laughter. Angie dropped her jaw and quickly recovered._

_"What Sirius meant to say was that we are terribly sorry and that we are aware we were supposed to be completing our mathematics problems- which we did. Furthermore, we had thoughtfully come up with a way to communicate over important issues without disturbing the environment of our peers." Angie sucked up to the teacher. Her father had taught her the aforementioned sentences last year when they were caught by their second grade teacher for committing the same 'crime'._

_"Eloquently put, Ms. Benson. However, I fail to see what is so important about 'Daniel Ratsinger having a crush on Juliet Lewis'." Mrs. Crabables argued. The two mentioned parties instantly blushed as thoughts of social destruction raced through their minds. The classroom erupted in laughter once more._

_Angie and Sirius sniggered for a moment, forgetting they in the midst of being interrogated by the police and that anything they said or did will be used against them in the Supreme Court of Room 412. They caught themselves, however, from bursting out in full-fledged hyena hysterics. It was not even that funny anyway._

_Upon receiving no further words from the troublesome duo, Mrs. Crabables proceeded to inform them of the Supreme Court of Room 412's decision. "You will stay for an hour after school to serve detention. You will be scrapping gum from the desks and chairs of this classroom."_

_Angie shrugged her shoulders. They had done most of it last time._

_Sirius, however, was outraged. "Mrs. Crabables, this is unjust on your behalf. You instructed us to complete problems eight through twelve- which we did- and did not give any further orders upon completion. Now, I sincerely believe that it was entirely considerate on both our parts to maintain the silence of this chamber. Albeit that the words in our means of communication may be harsh, I strictly maintain that we have not disobeyed any of the Golden Rules of Room 412." He stated as he nodded toward the chart at the front of the class._

_Tacked to the wall beside the chalkboard was a Bristol board that illustrated a scroll. Upon the scroll were five Golden Rules of Room 412. The most important rule was written clearly in thick black bubble letters: "Maintain the learning environment so that your peers may be able to prosper from this experience." The remaining four illustrated points regarding classroom cleanliness, tardiness, disruptiveness and inter-peer etiquette._

_Mrs. Crabables stared at Sirius, unaware that his vocabulary was as expansive as it was. Both eight-year-olds had amazed her. "Mr. Black, your argument is valid to a certain extent. You have failed to realize that by me catching you, the learning environment was shattered, the class was disrupted and your inter-peer etiquette toward Mr. Ratsinger and Ms. Lewis have been completely annihilated. Thus, you will serve this detention." Sirius was about to interject once more to state that it was she who had set off the chain of events when she continued further, "Any more attempts to resist your fates will result in a week's worth of after-school detentions and your inability to participate in the upcoming field day." The tone of finality had been etched into her voice._

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

_That afternoon, twenty-six of Mrs. Crabables' third grade class enjoyed the sunlight and the fresh air. Sirius and Angie, however, were armed with a scrapper each to face ten desks that required treatment for the welts known as gum on their undersides._

_"This bites!" Sirius complained. "It's all that old bat's fault that we're here. We could be in the park playing hide-and-go-seek tag with the others!"_

_"It does. I think we should make up our own secrete language. That way, she can't slam us once again for" Angie paused to adjust her voice to be old and stuffy, "'Annihilating any inter-peer respect you may have had.'"_

_Sirius let out a bark-like laugh while he nodded in agreement. They set to work on the underside of the desks as they substituted the letters of the alphabet to represent others. Angie had pulled out a sheet of paper from her desk and wrote out the suggestions until all twenty-six letters had been replaced. Thus, the famed language Blanson had been created.

* * *

_

Angie shook the memories from her head as her Arithmacy class had ended. They had been so young, so innocent then… so unaware of what would eventually become to be a complicated friendship. She could hear her four-year-old self giggling when Sirius had suggested that she pretend to be the damsel in distress atop the slide in the conglomeration of amusing devices. She remembered the smiles and cries of "Fear not, fair damsel, for Sir Sirius will save you!" Sirius used to issue as he ran across the sand to her 'rescue'.

She made her way down to the dungeons and took a seat with Lily. Sirius sat with James at the next cauldron over. Angie stared intently at the blackboard as Professor Cappella taught the class about the nature of rosemary in potions.

A few moments after class had begun, Sirius pretended to stretch and dropped a folded piece of parchment on the table in front of Angie. He returned to his normal position without Cappella ever suspecting a thing.

_Uilr, Yhkea, dryd rind. Uv luinca E'ja paah tydamacc pavuna. E fyc y lremt uv amajah duu, oui ghuf. Ed'c ymm nekrd; E vunkeja oui (E cibbuca dryd'c paehk y ped busbuic uv sa, ech'd ed?)._

_E's hud zaymuic uv Lryca. Eh vyld, E ys xieda rybbo vun oui. Hu uvvahla, Yhkea, pid oui'ja paah bnaddo crygah ajan cehla oui vuiht uid dryd Pemmo Ajanadda lraydat uh oui eh drent oayn. E's zicd rybbo dryd oui'na kaddehk pylg ehdu drec. Ed'c ypuid desa._

_E ruba oui'na hud syt yd sa drec desa. Dra edlrehk buftan'c xieda yhhuoehk._

_Dymg du oui mydan._

_Ceneic._

The letter touched Angie's heart. It touched in a way that was not necessarily good, either. In fact, Angie choked back the emotions that rushed forward in a whirlwind of memories.

_Ouch, Angie, that hurt. Of course I've been dateless before. I was a child of eleven too, you know. It's all right; I forgive you (I suppose that's being a bit pompous of me, isn't it?)._

_I'm not jealous of Chase. In fact, I am quite happy for you. No offence, Angie, but you've been pretty shaken ever since you found out that Billy Everette cheated on you in third year. I'm just happy that you're getting back into this. It's about time._

_I hope you're not mad at me this time. The itching powder's quite annoying._

_Talk to you later._

_Sirius._

Sirius began to whisper with James and soon enough, the two pulled out their wands and, veiled by the tables and students that were between them and Cappella, whispered a spell. It was obvious as to whom their wands were pointed at: Snape.

Soapsuds formed on the sallow-skinned Slytherine's hair and the bubbles began to change colour- from white to grey. A moment later, the suds disappeared and in their midst was a pink mane of curly locks that reached mid back. Laughter erupted in the classroom and Angie found herself in third grade once more, exposing Ratsinger's crush on Lewis.

* * *

**A/N: Wow. That was longer than I expected: almost 5 500 words for you. Well, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sorry if the writing style varied too much during the course of the chapter. I'm trying to improve my descriptions and use of language.**

**The secrete code in which they write actually doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Square Enix since it's actually from Final Fantasy X. It's called Al Bhed, not 'Blanson' (that was my doing) and, for your enjoyment, I included the key here.**

**A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z**

**Y P L T A V K R E Z G M S H U B X N C D I J F Q O W**

**Cookie to Q. T Starrrr for the first review: thank you very much!**

**Anyway, please review. I'd love to know what you all think of my story.**


	4. The Problem With Idiots

Chapter 4: The Problem With Idiots

That Friday, the day before Angie's date, classes passed uneventfully. By then, Sirius had managed to hook up with Rachelle Collins. As a result, several broom closets had been disturbed for inter-class "intimate sessions". Angie vainly tried to not let is bother her but never actually managed to succeed.

That day, during lunch, Sirius sat beside Rachelle and across from Angie and Chase. To the members of the outside world, it was merely a friendly meal between two friends and their respective counterparts. To the members of the inner circle, they knew it to be a test of stamina on the other's denial.

Angie rarely looked at Sirius anymore, an incredibly out of character move on her part. Angie knew that if she ever looked at Sirius, Rachelle would enter her field of vision: something she did not want to occur. Rachelle was not fond of Angie and regarded her as a nuisance. Angie outright disliked Rachelle and regarded her as the slut she was. 'Well now, that wasn't very nice of me…' Angie thought, 'Oh well.'

Sirius pretended to be listening to the useless things his girlfriend had to say. Honestly, who cares about breaking nails, makeup and what Susie said to Sally to make her jealous? 'Damn. Should've picked a brighter and more interesting girl…' He thought, 'Like Angie. Yeah… Wait! No! Not Angie! Angie's why I'm with Ms. Nail-Polish-For-Brains over here.' Out of the corner of his eye, he observed Angie listening intently to what Chase had to say about Quidditch. "That's nice, babe. Would mind if I wrote my essay for Charms? Due next class." He interjected. He had had enough of her mindless babble.

"Sure. Take all the time you want. I need to go find Sally. The girl's just heartbroken that her best friend would betray her like that." Rachelle said as she left Sirius.

Sirius let out a sigh of relief at the blonde's departure. Now… If only that were for good… He pulled out a quill from his bag and a piece of parchment. He began to scribble words in Blanson across the paper, voicing his inner thoughts and emotions for the first time in four days to Angie.

_Rao Yhkea._

_E lyh'd ramb pid drehg dryd oui'ja paah yjuetehk sa mydamo. E's cina oui'ja zicd paah pico fedr Dnajunc un cusadrehk. Ra cina ec y lmehko uha. Oui kioc muug lida dukadran. Oayr, dryd'c nekrd, lida._

_E ruba oui'na rybbo. E lyh'd naymmo cyo E't ghuf ypuid dryd vun cina. E ryjah'd cbugah du oui eh y frema… Oui ghuf, eh y bnuban luhjancydeuh. Dymg du sa, Yhkea. Saad sa eh dra lussuh nuus duhekrd? E secc oui._

_Ceneic._

He sighed heavily and folded it into a paper crane before handing it to Angie. "A gift." He'd called it before he strolled out the doors of the Great Hall. He sincerely hoped she would meet with him that night.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Cetus strolled into the Great Hall and sought of his sister. She had not spoken to him earlier that week and he had requested her presence on Monday. It was incongruous of her to do so. He quickly found her at mid table and plopped down beside her. He took note of the bloke next to her who looked like he desperately wanted to suck her face off.

"Oi! Angie!" Cetus spoke up, tapping her shoulder impatiently. Whether or not she wanted to be saved would be found out soon enough.

"Yes, Cetus?" She said as she turned around. A look of relief and joy filled Angie's face as she turned around.

"May I speak with you privately?" Cetus requested a second time that week. Judging from the current look on Angie's face, to be pulled away from the bloke next to her would be a relief sent from above.

"Yeah, sure." She replied. She turned to Chase and simply said, "Family thing, I suppose." With that, she made her leave with Cetus. Her 'gift' from Sirius was safely tucked within her bag along with everything she would need for Charms.

They made their way out of the Great Hall and down the corridor. They walked into the first empty classroom they found and took a seat on two opposite desks that faced each other. They made sure the door was closed before the talking began.

"So, what'd you want to talk to me about?" Angie beseeched of her brother.

"You haven't heard from mom or dad, have you?" Cetus questioned.

"Lately, no. But I suspect it has something to do with what's going on outside the walls of the castle." This further confused her.

"Ok. Well, Angie, I know you're friends with Sirius and everything but I can't help but wonder about him." Cetus told her.

Angie's head shot up. Why would Cetus be suspicious of Sirius? "What do you mean you can't 'help but wonder about him'?"

"Mom wrote me last Sunday about something that went on in his house. You know how loud the Blacks yell, right?" Cetus asked her. Angie merely nodded, not understanding where he was going with this. "Well, Mom wrote that they had been yelling about a 'failure son' who was "good for nothing"- she quoted that- and a 'traitor son'. She said that no names were thrown out- or at least if they were, she didn't hear them- and can't help but wonder which one is which. She told me not to tell you but she doesn't see what I see. She doesn't see the looks you've been giving him." Cetus finished with a grin while his eyes remained those of the concerned older brother he was not.

Angie blinked in disbelief. "So, you think that Sirius is the 'traitor son'? Or the 'failure son'?" Cetus gave her a curt nod. "Well, which of the two, Cetus?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm just telling you to be careful about him. They've found out that there's a large, dark spot on the forearms of death eaters. Just look for it. If it's there, Angie, you know you can't continue to be friends with him." Cetus' eyes were becoming glassy now as moisture developed on them. He knew he was breaking his sister's heart. Moreover, it baffled him that his parents wrote to him about Sirius and not Angie. Sure, they'd be getting on the bad side of his sibling but they were her parents: they were immune to her.

Angie looked to the ground, processing what her eleven-year-old brother had told her. Would Sirius be the 'traitor son'? If so, traitor to whom? Maybe he was the 'failure son'? No, that could never be it. Sirius was good at everything he did. Along with the suspicions about Sirius, it perplexed her how much her brother had suddenly aged in the span of two minutes. She merely nodded her head and glanced at her watch.

"Cetus, class begins in ten minutes. I suggest you make your way there now. I'll see you later." Angie said as she gave him a short hug and swept out the door, robes billowing behind her.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Angie swept into Charms class with a couple moments to spare. The majority of the class had already taken their seats and Professor Flitwick stood at the head of the class, waiting for the arrivals of a few more students. Angie scanned the class and found a seat next to Lily. Off in a corner were the Marauders.

Angie quietly pulled out the paper crane Sirius had given her. In the light, she could see scribbles of words on the parchment. She unfolded it and read the message carefully. Lily glanced over her shoulder but when she found she was unable to make out a single word, she went back to staring at the front of the class.

_Hey Angie._

_I can't help but think that you've been avoiding me lately. I'm sure you've just been busy with Trevors or something. He sure is a clingy one. You guys look cute together. Yeah, that's right, cute._

_I hope you're happy. I can't really say I'd know about that for sure. I haven't spoken to you in a while… You know, in a proper conversation. Talk to me, Angie. Meet me in the common room tonight? I miss you._

_Sirius._

Angie stared at the last sentence before his name. He missed her? She thought he had not registered her recent absence from his side since he began to suck face with Rachelle Collins. Suck face? She sure was being harsh on him. 'No dear, that's you green-eyed monster speaking out there.' A voice at the back of her mind taunted her.

Angie pulled out a pen and wrote him a reply under the pretence of taking notes. Flitwick had started yammering on about animation charms while she read the letter.

_Re Ceneic._

_Sa, yjuet oui? Fro fuimt E tu dryd? E druikrd oui fana duu pico mecdahehk du Nylramma dymg un... E's hud cina fryd amca cra tuac, yldiymmo._

_Lida. Dryd'c y haf uha. E teth'd drehg ed fyc bynd uv ouin julypimyno. Tu oui bnavan edlrehk buftan un vnukc? E's gettehk._

_E ys rybbo... Famm, yc rybbo yc y bancuh fru seccac draen pacd vneaht lyh pa._

_E'mm saad oui duhekrd eh dra lussuh nuus. Pid Ceneic, tuh'd drehg, hud ajah vun y susahd, dryd E's kuehk ib du dryd cdo oui vuin lymm y nuus. Yldiymmo, lymmehk ed y cdo ec yh ehcimd du bekc ymm ujan. _

_E'mm caa oui mydan._

_Yhkea._

Angie neatly folded it into a paper crane. She quickly switched it with the previous paper crane that was on her desk, obviously placed there by Flitwick for a model for trying the new spell. Flitwick went over basic wrist movements and pronunciation of the incantation.

"It's _ani-mat-ta_." Flitwick enunciated and the class chorused after him.

Angie looked at her crane, followed through with the wand motion and said, "Animata!" The crane on her desk flapped its wings and took flight. She directed it over to Sirius and the note made its was across the room.

"Very good, Ms. Benson!" Flitwick said, impressed that she had gotten the charm on her first try. "Ten points for Gryffindor."

Angie merely smiled. Lily looked at her paper frog and decided to give it a go. A once, the folded paper made its way around her desk. Lily beamed with pride. A few desks behind them, someone had blown their paper creation up.

Sirius caught the bird and muttered "finite incantatem". He unfolded the bird and read its contents.

_Hi Sirius._

_Me, avoid you? Why would I do that? I thought you were too busy listening to Rachelle talk or... I'm not sure what else she does, actually._

_Cute. That's a new one. I didn't think it was part of your vocabulary. Do you prefer itching powder or frogs? I'm kidding._

_I am happy... Well, as happy as a person who misses their best friend can be._

_I'll meet you tonight in the common room. But Sirius, don't think, not even for a moment, that I'm going up to that sty you four call a room. Actually, calling it a sty is an insult to pigs all over. _

_I'll see you later._

_Angie._

He smiled at her comment about Rachelle, knowing fully well that he ought not to but did so anyway. It further brightened him when he read that she indeed missed him as well and chuckled at her remark regarding their dorm. She was right: there were socks that hung from the canopy beds and bedposts; feathers littered the room with a mass of clothes, wrappers and papers in the centre; darts that stuck in odd place around the room-a clear indication that they had no aim whatsoever after consuming an entire case of twenty-four among themselves.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

That night, after dinner, Angie met Sirius in the common room, waiting with the Marauders' Map and James' invisibility cloak. He smiled at her before opening the door once more. It was not past curfew yet so they were sill free to roam.

Sirius took her to the Room of Requirement. The room had transformed into a carpeted room with wood paneling, a roaring fireplace, a grandfather clock and plenty of cushions. The lack of actual furniture did not disturb them as they took a place on top of a mountain of pillows each.

"So, tell me, why haven't you spoken more than five consecutive words to me lately?" Sirius inquired as he lay on his stomach with his head propped up in his hands. Honest curiosity ebbed across his features as he stared intently at Angie.

"Would you have heard them?" Angie asked. In the past few days, it appeared to her that Rachelle was constantly telling Sirius something or kissing him. It did not appear to her as though they did anything else. Honest curiosity splashed across her face as realization made its way on to Sirius'. It was soon replaced by hurt.

"Angie, I always listen to you." He told her, "Though I'm not sure I can say the same to Rachelle."

Angie snorted. If he did not listen to her, why was he still with her then? "Then why are you with her?" Angie thought a moment and, before Sirius could say something, she changed her mind. "Never mind. Don't tell me."

"Angie! I'm shocked that you could think so lowly of me!" He cried indignantly as she burst out laughing. "Honestly, I would have thought that you of all people would know that I'm not truly like that."

Their conversation stretched onward like that for a few hours. They talked about Rachelle, Chase, recent pranks, their thoughts about the classes, joked about teachers, shared jokes and laughed. When a silence fell between them, Angie spoke up. She did not want to end the carefree nature of their night but what Cetus had told her earlier plagued her mind.

"Sirius, my mom wrote Cetus lately about your family." Angie started quietly.

"Are they dead?" Sirius asked, almost hopefully.

"Uh, no." Angie said and his face fell. "She told him about a recent row your parents had without placing a silencing charm over the house. She said something about your mom referring to her two sons as the 'failure son' and the 'traitor son'. You know how Mom's a healer right?" Sirius gave a nod. He would never discuss this with anyone other than Angie and possibly James. "Well, I'm not sure if you've heard but many muggle-borns and wizards are being murdered or severely injured. What scared her most was when she caught wind that there are people in the school who are in league with _him_. Your parents' rows made her come to the conclusion that either you or your brother are-" She stopped there upon seeing the look of disgust upon his face.

"Angie, when it comes to my parents, I'm no one other than 'the traitor son'." He said solemnly. He heard her gasp but continued before she could say something. "When they say 'traitor', they mean 'blood-traitor' because I refuse to believe in all that pureblood bullshit." He heard her exhale in relief. He rolled up both sleeves to reveal two forearms devoid of tattoos of any kind. "See? I couldn't be. Besides, dark magic disgusts me."

Angie nodded and, although he had a girlfriend, gave him a hug. It took him a while to react but soon laced his arms around her, sealing her in a tight embrace. A warm feeling crept into his body that was never there when he hugged Rachelle.

The clock on the wall struck one o'clock as exhaustion crept across the two teenagers. Breaking the embrace, they got up and left the room, scanning the hallways with the Marauders' Map under the protection of the invisibility cloak. They managed to pass Filch and Mrs. Norris without detection and made it to Gryffindor tower successfully.

In the common room, they bade each other goodnight before ascending to their respective dormitories. The sound of footsteps fading away reinstated the silence in the moonlit room.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

The idle twitter of birds dwindling in the trees woke Angie and she could not help but think of the fairy tale Snow White. She laughed as she remembered the arguments made against the story that paralleled it to cocaine.

Angie arose from her comfortable and warm nest in the blankets and went about her daily routine. She brushed her teeth and dressed herself in a black v-neck sweater and a denim skirt. The familiar feeling of excitement rose from the pit of her stomach as glee found its way into her heart. This was her first date in three years.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Angie made her way down to the Great Hall. She made her way to the Gryffindor table, took her place across from Sirius and a clingy Rachelle and grabbed a piece of toast from the centre basket. She did not notice the manicured hand that hovered over the place where the toasted bread once was.

"Hey!" a girly voice squeaked in a whine, "I was going to eat that!"

Angie looked at the offended blonde and decided it was not worth the effort to get mad at her. "You snooze, you lose. You cling: you still lose. Honestly, Rachelle, just give up. You'll never succeed anyway." Angie shrugged as she took a bit of the toast and did not bother to try to muffle the tantalizing 'crunch' sound the toast made.

"Angie, why are you so snappy today?" Sirius questioned, his attention on his cereal having been broken. "I thought you had a date. Isn't that supposed to put you in a _good_ mood?"

"That depends if the shapely blonde across the table from you is going to get territorial over a starch." Angie replied as she victoriously continued to eat her toast.

"Angie's being hostile!" James chanted. He would have continued had Lily not walked by at that moment. "You know, Lily, it's not too late to come to Hogsmeade with me!" he shouted after her.

Lily turned on her heel and walked up to him in manner that suggested she was considering the notion of taking him up on the offer. She flashed him a smile, her emerald eyes shining and her fingers twirling her hair. "Really? Well, let's see… How many other boys are in the Hall today?" She looked around before continuing, "About three hundred too many for me to go out with you." She crinkled her nose, shook her head and walked away.

Remus and Peter sniggered; milk almost shooting out the latter's nostrils. Sirius leant a hand and tried to console a downtrodden James. Rachelle shook her head and offered her two cents. "I don't see why that bitch has to be so… well, bitchy about it."

Angie breathed fire. This hydrocephaloid of person had just insulted her best female friend. "Clever Rachelle." Angie drawled. "Maybe its time you considered that not everyone's as loose as you are when it comes to boys." She jumped up from her seat, bid the boys farewell and took her place next to Lily, still seething venom.

Lily looked up from her cereal upon Angie's arrival. Her face mirrored her thoughts of regret but was soon replaced by curiosity as her best friend sat next to her, muttering death threats on a certain airhead. "Hey, what's up?"

"… Stupid lying, cheating idiot on two legs… strangle her to death and eat her vocal chords for dinner… Cut her hair off and stuff a pillow with it… Smash her face in with bowling balls and baseball bats…" Angie muttered violent thoughts.

Lily was still bewildered and decided to try again. "Angie, what're you muttering about?"

Angie snapped up from her murderous notions. "That stupid bitch called you a bitch. What would she know? The only thing she does is talk and screw. I bet Sirius would have to sink low enough to get her to give him a blow-job just to shut her up for ten minutes."

Lily tried to resist the urge to laugh but failed miserably. Her laughter was infectious and was proven so as Angie burst out laughing as well. As they laughed, disbelief settled in as Angie struggled, "I… can't… believe… I … said… that!"

James noticed the two girls laughing and decided that it may be safe to try again. He excused himself from his friend and made his way to the table. He confidently took a seat next to Lily and smiled, waiting for the two girls to clam down.

Angie regained control of herself as she saw who had taken a seat next the still laughing Lily. Lily hadn't realized that James was sitting next to her as she mused short of breath, "Ten minutes of silence from a blow-job…" Lily sighed as she regained her composure.

Before Lily could continue with her thought, James cut in. "Is that an offer?"

Angie snorted and Lily turned a nice shade of fire engine red. "Tha's not James, is it?" She slurred from mirth.

"Um, yeah, it is, actually." Angie giggled once more.

"Crap." Lily managed. She then shifted the blame. "Angie, that's all your fault."

James felt invisible but it made him happy. He had never succeeded in being as close to Lily before without being hit. He watched the scene before him before huskily muttering into her ear, "Lily, you never answered my question."

Lily suppressed the impulse to shake as her eyes closed. Her back was turned from him, shielding her from his observing eyes. Angie grinned like the Cheshire cat that ate the canary. Her cheeks were so high, her eyes were pretty much squinting.

"Well, I better make my way to the Main Entrance. Don't wanna be late for my date!" Angie exclaimed as she left Lily with her 'demons'.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Angie made her way to the front steps and found Chase standing there, waiting for her. He smiled at her, grabbed her hand and kissed the top of it. Angie blushed.

"The carriages aren't here yet. Let's go take a walk by the lake." He suggested. Angie smiled and they made their way around the lake, not really paying attention to their pace, nor to the fact that, one by one, the carriages were leaving.

When they got to the carriages, there were two left. James, Lily, Remus and Peter climbed into one, slammed the door shut and the carriage went off without them. Angie and Chase made their way into the last carriage and were about to close the door when they heard Sirius yell out, "Wait!"

Rachelle and Sirius climbed in, out of breath. They breathed heavily as Angie and Chase stared at them, waiting for them to regain their breath.

"James, Lily, Remus and Peter left without us. Actually, they sprinted from the Great Hall, ran into the second last carriage and left us here with you." Sirius explained.

Angie blinked twice, not believing her ears. "James and Lily left without you? _James and Lily_?"

Sirius, Chase and Angie laughed at the notion while Rachelle concentrated really hard to understand what was so funny about Lily and James. After a few moments, she gave up. "I don't get it." She whined.

Angie bit back a remark about the blonde's intelligence quotient as Sirius explained. "James has been trying to get Lily for years. Lily's been rejecting him for years. Now, it doesn't make sense that she suddenly jumps in a carriage with him."

Rachelle wore a blank face as she still tried to process the information. When she still could not picture what was so funny about it, she let out a weak laugh before diverting her attention elsewhere. "So, you guys going out?" She asked Chase and Angie.

Angie dropped her jaw, clearly believing that Rachelle's intelligence exponentially decreased as the seconds ticked by. Chase stated the obvious. "Well, this is our first date."

"Oh. Cool." Rachelle said. Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes. It was then that Rachelle began her mindless jabber about nothing of great importance at all. He silently wished that he could have at least gotten ten minutes of silence from her but was discouraged when he noted the presence of two other people. Instead, he gave the occasional "uh huh" or nod.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

After what seemed like an eternity of mindless banter, they finally arrived at Hogsmeade. Angie and Chase quickly made their way from Sirius and Rachelle as they ducked into Honeydukes.

"I need to get some Fizzing Whizbees for Chase. Being a first year and all, Cetus can't come to Hogsmeade." Angie had told him as they made their escape to the candy shop.

The shop buzzed with the hustle and bustle of sugar craving people. It was filled as the anticipation for the arrival of Halloween saturated the air. It was not the picturesque scene for a conversation so Chase kept his questions to himself.

He tagged along as Angie stocked up on Fizzing Whizbees, Honeydukes' Finest Chocolate, and Bertie Bott's Everyflavor Beans. She was about to pay for it all when she caught sight of a muggle candy: Pixy Stix. He noted how her eyes lit up at the sight of the neon coloured tubs of sugar. His eyes followed her hands as she grabbed at least five of every colour there.

Upon finishing her candy shopping, they sought a quiet café as opposed to the Three Broomsticks. They found a booth for two and sat across from one another, sipping their respective coffee concoctions.

"I love coffee. I just don't feel the same without it. Of course, the house elves don't feel the need to cafenate the students so early in the morning. Then the teachers wonder why we fall asleep in class…" Angie mused as she stared into her coffee mug.

Chase smiled. Nothing of interest really came to mind on the subject of coffee so he changed the topic. "Yeah. Hey, you don't mind if I ask why you don't like Rachelle, do you?" The subject was out of the blue and probably fell under the "None of Your Business" category.

Angie looked up from the black liquid and stared at him for a moment. Chase began to blush and was about to mutter an apology when Angie said, "Rachelle Collins is one of the most stupidest people I've ever had the misfortune of meeting. She daily illustrates my point that she lacks two brain cells to rub together. She says nothing of value but makes a habit of saying the most prejudice things I've ever heard in my life."

"Oh. Well, what'd she say?" Chase knew he was treading on shaky ground.

"This morning, for example, she called Lily a bitch for no reason other than Lily shooting down James' offer to take her on a date today. Sure, the way Lily did it was a tad bit on the cruel side but it is by no means reason for her to call her a bitch." Angie stated firmly.

"Oh. Has she ever done anything to you?"

"It's more of the fact that she exists."

"That's not very nice."

"Well, Chase, I'm not going to lie to you. Having to lie to Sirius everyday is bad enough."

"What do mean 'lie to Sirius'?"

"Trying to act amicable around that… I don't know what she is. Even a soap dish is brighter than her."

The pair laughed at the remark and continued to talk about matters concerning school, friends and life outside the walls of Hogwarts. It was roughly five o'clock when the pair left the coffee shop and made their way back to the castle. They were a cute couple but Angie thought nothing more of it. She was happy and that was all that mattered to her.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Angie made her way to her room when she arrived at the castle. She pulled a piece of parchment from her trunk and found herself a table in the common room. The room was vacant, unoccupied chairs scattered about and a great fire crackling in the fireplace.

The silence around her was comfortable as her thoughts were clear in her mind. She pressed her quill to the parchment, moving it across the paper in a dance-like manner, forming delicate letters and words. Paragraphs were written and emotions expressed. As time passed, the letter became complete.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_How are you? I hope work is bearable and that there aren't many people walking in with severed limbs and dislocated joints for you to fix._

_I've been receiving the Daily Prophet and I must say that this 'Dark Lord' seems to be quite full of himself. The teachers and the headmaster have made the atmosphere around her cheery and calm, a sort of hideaway from reality. It's pleasant but it's almost as if they mean for us to be oblivious to the world around us, uninformed about why some of our relatives are being killed. Just last week, a classmate of mine received a letter that stated that her mother had been killed._

_Cetus approached me last week about a letter he had received from you. I know you mean well but I don't understand why you did not tell me of your suspicions. I know I have quite the temper sometimes but I would appreciate being told every now and then of matters that regard my friendships. Anyway, I did talk to Sirius about it and he told me that he was the 'traitor son' (as Cetus put it) but not quite as you would expect it. I'm not sure if you've ever been aware of Mr. And Mrs. Black's beliefs regarding heritage but they hold the stature of being a pureblood in high esteem. When Sirius did not agree with his parents' perceptions of superiority, he had earned the title of 'blood traitor' thus making him the traitor son. He also told me that dark magic disgusts him._

_I know that when suspicions surround a person and the only proof you have is the suspect's word, not much trust is present. However, I should suspect that I could trust my best friend of twelve years for all that he is worth and then some. Fact is I trust Sirius with my life._

_Anyway, I can't wait to see you once more. I miss you both dearly and send you all of my love and then some._

_Love always,_

_Angie._

Angie inspected her work meticulously for errors and whatnot. Upon detecting none, she smiled to herself, pleased with her work. She folded the letter and placed it in an envelope. She placed the envelope into a pocket in her cloak and went to the owlry to deliver her letter.

After completing that task, her stomach grumbled, causing her to become aware of her hunger. She then made her way to the Great Hall for dinner.

* * *

**A/N: Wow… I didn't write a flashback… Oh well. There will be plenty next chapter. I'm pretty sure that my writing is still inconsistent but please bear with me: I'm trying to elevate my writing as I am no longer a high school student (finally, after FIVE bloody years!) and must strive to achieve more out of these letters.**

**Caramel popcorn to Inwe Tasartir for the first review.**

**Um… Please review. I live for those things… They're partially also the reason why I write. **

**"See" you all in the next chapter. Keep on rockin' in the free world!**

**P.S: I changed the rating because my ideas are getting more toward the 'M' side and my language is gtting more and more obsecene.**


	5. M'Aidez!

Chapter 5: M'aidez!

"_Goodnight, Chase." A girl murmured to her boyfriend._

"_Goodnight, Angie." He returned the bid farewell and was about to turn away when an after thought _

_struck him. He was feeling bold tonight. He grabbed her arm, reeled her toward him and kissed her: a kiss that held faint traits of wanting._

Angie stared at Lily as Lily processed the events in her mind. Angie and Chase had been going steady for a month now. Chase had kissed Angie a few weeks ago for the first time. Only a couple weeks had passed that brought them to today. Earlier today, Chase had stuck his had up her shirt and Angie had politely declined his motion to go further with him. Although he had said that he'd wait for her, Angie could not help but read his mind to discover that he wanted a lot more than a hand up her shirt.

"He's an anxious one, isn't he?" Lily finally managed to comment.

She was helping her best friend to determine her next actions… not that she really considered herself to be the one giving relationship advice. She had had one previous relationship in her entire life and it had ended on terrible terms. Lily thought she was in love and he was stringing her along to get closer to Angie. Lily was heart broken at the time but never found it in her to dislike Angie because of it. Friendship meant more to Lily than anything else in the world.

"Yeah. But he told me he'd wait. I suppose that counts for something." Angie sighed. Angie had not told Lily that she had read his mind at the time, fearing a lecture from Lily about the importance of privacy.

"It does."

Angie juggled the thoughts in her head before she whispered, "Lily, it's not working."

"What's not working, Angie?" Lily asked shyly, though she had a guess in regards to the answer.

"The diversion. I still find myself thinking about Sirius and how he's wasting himself with that airhead, how I could do so much better than her. What's wrong with me, Lily? Why do I think these thoughts about my best friend?" She cried, frustrated to the core and shook slightly with tears. The way she spoke alluded to the notion that it was a disease to her.

Lily paused, considering the weight of her words and how they may affect her friend. She crawled on Angie's bed and pulled her into a hug, in a maternal manner. She rubbed her back soothingly and shushed her. "Angie, I hate to tell you this but you're in love with your best friend. There's not other logical explanation." How much she resembled a doctor was uncanny.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

"Angie, I'd hate to break your heart but I need to work on a potions assignment with Rachelle this weekend. We're completely useless when it comes to potions so we're going to need all the time we can get." Chase had explained one beautiful Thursday morning.

Angie stared at him for a moment. They had only been assigned the potions assignment yesterday. It then occurred to her the countless times either Rachelle or Chase had burned holes through the dungeon floor when not even working with each other. "Um, sure. I have to work on mine with Lily tonight anyway."

"Oh, ok. I take it Lily wants to get a head start, eh?" Chase could not help but be suspicious of her but said nothing about it.

"Yep. I don't blame her though. The faster we can do it, the better. Hopefully, it won't stretch beyond the confines of tonight."

"That's an ideal situation."

"Yeah, it is. Oh, speaking of which, I need to go meet Lily now. She's a redhead who can't stand tardiness. I'll see you later." Angie kissed Chase on the cheek before dashing out the Great Hall and down to the dungeons.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

"So, how's it going with Chase?" Lily asked as she peeled snapdragon roots.

"Alright, why?" Angie asked as she lit the fire under the cauldron.

"Just curious. More curious to know if works… If you're still thinking of Sirius." Lily explained as she chopped the roots. "Chop these." She gave Angie a knife, cutting board and something that strangely resembled carrots.

"What are they?" Angie asked as she stared at the strange root-like substance on the board.

"That would be helstrom." Lily said, not looking up from the roots. "By the way, you never answered my question."

"Question? You didn't ask a question." The sounds of chopping provided an ambient background sound.

"I did too. You never told me if he's effectively getting your mind off Sirius." Lily lifted and tilted the

snapdragon root peels into the cauldron and listened to it crackle.

"Well, that did not resemble as question." Angie said as she tipped the helstrom into the pot. The crackling simmered and liquids were now added in. "Anyway, to satisfy your curiosity, no, it hasn't really. I still think of Sirius and I have no idea what to do. The fact that Chase is probably going to spend the weekend with Rachelle doesn't bother me either. Actually, I feel guilty that that means I get to spend it with Sirius."

"You sly devil. You know that's not going to help your situation nor your reputation." Lily said as she added lizard's bile.

"No, it isn't." Angie sighed. She added peacock acid and stared as the contents turned an intense indigo colour. "This is the right colour, right?"

Lily looked down, thought for a moment and finally confirmed Angie's question. "Wow… That colour would look really nice on you. No matter how much you darken it or lighten it, it'd really bring out your eyes."

"Thanks, Lily." Angie looked at the bottles aligned on the table. "Shall I put in the belladonna or you?"

"Go ahead, if you want to. Just remember, three drops."

"Alright." Angie applied the aforementioned quantity. The contents changed to a vanilla frosting like colour.

Lily dropped in the powdered piranha spine and the liquid shifted to a fire opal colour. "Excellent. We, my dear, are done. Now we have to write the report and essay."

"Beautiful. We have made the perfect entrancing solution."

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Saturday came quick enough for Angie. Hers and Lily's potion had been completed as well as the report and essay. Thus, Angie found herself with nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon.

The common room was littered with students trying to complete certain assignments as the homework was progressively reaching new heights. It seemed to the student body that as the leaves changed colour, the time to change the pace of homework changed as well. Nasty potions assignments, transfiguration essays of extraordinary lengths, evil charms research and muggle studies reading of impending doom instilled a sense of Armageddon on the students' social lives. Therefore, it was an anomaly that Angie found herself with nothing to do.

Angie found Sirius, James and Remus sitting on a couch by the fire, in deep discussion over a piece of parchment. Their backs were turned, heads lowered, bodies hovered closely together.

"We should take this corridor, take this passage and then set up watch over here." The hushed voice of James Potter floated from the confines of the huddle.

Angie smiled deviously. She had recognized their huddle as prank planning, the scrap of parchment as the Marauder's Map and their utter lack of awareness to the world around them as the opportune moment to scare the wits out of them.

"What're you planning there?" she asked cheerfully as she placed her hands on James' and Sirius' shoulders and her face before Remus. The three boys jumped a good foot in the air before settling down again.

"Fucking Hell, Angie! What're you trying to do to us!" Sirius spoke first, clutching his chest and gasping for air.

"Just testing how high your cholesterol levels are." Angie smiled as the glares made their way to her. "So, really, what're you planning?" James and Remus looked at her sceptically while Sirius fought with his inner demons about telling her their plans. "Oh, come on! I may be Lily's friend but I'm not as constricted as she is. Besides, how many times have I helped you pull your pranks successfully? We didn't even get a single detention when I was with you!"

Remus and James tilted their heads as if to tip a scale while Sirius sighed. He was secretly happy to have Angie along in the plan: Peter was a crappy look out anyway.

"Sit down, my dear. Wouldn't want to spoil a surprise, now would we?" Sirius said as he shuffled over to make room for her. "Now, the plan is to get over here without being detected." He informed her, finger pointing to a room labelled as 'Slytherin Common Room'

Angie looked at the parchment with the inner workings of Hogwarts clearly laid out before her. She stared at the map, looking from the starting point to the end point, eyes tracing possible paths before the ultimate route presented itself.

"I found a passage in third year that saved me many times from being late for potions." Angie began. She pointed to a line where the label 'Lady Violet the Elegant' appeared. "There is a slide behind this painting that leads down to the dungeons." She traced her finger along the paper to another painting that was labelled 'The Boldly Brave Sir Robin'. "Now, that's down the corridor from the Slytherins but there is a passage behind this painting, " she pointed to the painting next to that of Sir Robin titled 'Thy Fair Portia' "that leads to this painting here." She pointed to another painting that was next to the Slytherin entrance titled 'Thy Serpent of the Thy Soul."

Remus, James and Sirius looked at Angie in awe. The most unlikely person had given them the golden ticket to the Slytherins' lair with minimal chance of detection.

"That's bloody brilliant!" Remus exclaimed.

"I thought so too." Angie beamed. "But you do know the password, right?"

"Of course we do. Besides, we just have to cozy up under the invisibility cloak and over hear the password to get in. Not that hard." James smirked.

"So, what are we doing in there, anyway?" Angie asked. She felt that she merited at least that one bit of information.

"Well, we are going to cover the common room with Gryffindor paraphernalia." Sirius answered smugly. Angie stared at him in disbelief. Sirius took note of her expression and uttered "What?"

"That's so unoriginal." She stated simply.

"Do you have a better idea?" James asked.

Angie thought for a moment. Their target was the Slytherins. What did the Slytherins hate most? The Gryffindors. What else did the Slytherins hate? Symbols of weakness… like babies and stuffed animals. That was it! _Babies and stuffed animals!_

A devilish grin graced Angie's face as thoughts of rattles and pacifiers danced through her mind. "We'll turn the common room into a nursery and the Slytherins into babies."

Sirius and James laughed at the thought while Remus looked outraged. Before he could cut in, Angie added, "Don't worry, Remus. We don't need to apply aging potion or stuff like that. We can charm their clothes and overall appearance to be that of a cuddly baby." Remus' face grinned at the thought of dolling Malfoy up into an oversized diaper and baby bonnet.

Remus spoke up, "I think we should charm it so that they would not know it… only the world around them. Maybe that way, they wouldn't understand the entire prank… Just half of it."

"Brilliant." With that last remark, the four disbanded with a final promise to meet by the portrait

hole at midnight.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Angie strolled about the leaf-covered grounds beside Sirius. Their counterparts were together working on a potion. Sirius and James had finished theirs Friday night to make way for pranking. 'Being paired up with Lily has its advantages…' Angie thought.

The orange, yellow and red leaves crackled beneath their feet as they strolled the grounds. Sirius pulled out his wand and waved it. The scattered leaves arranged themselves into a neat pile. He then put his wand away and pushed Angie into the pile of leaves. He would have been triumphant had Angie not pulled him down with her.

"What the hell was that for?" Angie yelled as she tried to get out of the leaves. The wind was pushing the leaves over her and Sirius. A twist of fate, a bite of karma… Who knew?

"For the fun of it. If I had known you'd drag me down too, I wouldn't have done it." Sirius smiled. He was secretly muttering for the leaves to fall over them so that they may have some privacy from prying eyes.

"Funny, Black. Do you remember what happened the last time you pushed me in a pile of leaves?" Angie recalled a memory from the previous year.

* * *

_A temperature of five degrees Celsius signalled that summer was coming to a close. It was not cold enough to pull out the winter coats but enough to nip at noses and fingers. A myriad of leaves were piled neatly. Professor Sprout had asked the students to do so with the tantalizing offer of ten house points to every student who helped. Thus, Angie pulled Sirius along with her since Lily had prefects' duty._

"_Tell me again why we wasted our lovely Saturday away doing this?" Sirius asked her as he raked some leaves into a pile. The tip of his nose seemed to be blotted with red ink and his hands resembled raw chicken under heat radiators. To say that he was cold was an understatement._

_Angie conjured him a pair of gloves. "Here, you big baby. We're here because we have nothing better to do with our Saturday." Sirius was about to say something when Angie quickly added, "Pranking the Slytherins is NOT better than this."_

"_I disagree. At least by pranking the Slytherins, I get some sort of satisfaction out of it." He argued as he slipped his hands into the knitted gloves._

"_The satisfaction you get out of that is not a good kind. It comes to you, gives you its feeling before leaving you a desolate corpse once more, yearning for it to come back… Kind of like one of the many girls you've been with after a one-night stand."_

"_Hey! I object to that!" Sirius interjected. "Just how many girls do you think I've been with?"_

"_Honestly, too many to count on my fingers and toes… Had I been a Hindu god." She said as she continued to rake leaves._

"_I haven't been with __**that**__ many girls!" He announced dejectedly. He stopped raking and stared at her._

_Angie turned, scepticism written all over her face. "Oh, really? Just how many girls have you been with?"_

"_Two."_

_Angie looked at him, squinted her eyes and considered the number. "Am I supposed to add or multiply that by three?" She asked._

"_Neither. Angie, I'd never lie to you. Just because I've been around the block a sufficient amount of times to know the numbers by heart doesn't mean I slept with them all." He said honestly._

"_Supposing that were true, who __**did**__ you sleep with?" She asked him. She was learning to give him the benefit of the doubt._

"_It is true. I slept with Lativia Summers and Julia Robins." He said honestly._

"_So that's why you were so hurt when you found- you know what, I never said that." Angie said as she continued with her work. Her mind processed the conversation that had just taken place. _

_Unfortunately for her, she did not notice Sirius place his rake down, place his hands on her waist and throw her into the pile of leaves to her right._

_The sky seemed to move for Angie as it seemed to run to her left as the grass and leaves came closer to her right. She reached out but did not manage to bring her assailant down with her. Leaves settled in her hair and her rake crashed down with her. She looked upwards and saw a triumphant looking Sirius Black grinning above her. Anger set in as she withdrew her wand to place some leaves down Sirius' underwear._

"_Hey! No fair! I didn''t use my wand, now did I?" He chastised her. As he said the words, more leaves found their way into his underwear. He soon found leaves and twigs poking and prodding him in uncomfortable places. "Ow! Fuck, Angie! Would you mind cutting it out?"_

_Angie grinned and flicked down the second assault team. She could only imagine just how much it hurt._

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

_That night, Angie and Sirius sat across from each other beside the fire, mugs of warm apple cider in hand. Aside from them, the common room was free of students._

"_So, why is it so hard for you to believe what I said?" Sirius asked her._

"_Why does it matter to you so much that I believe you?" Angie countered._

"_I asked you first."_

"_Because you've got that extensive track record." Angie answered._

"_Because you're my best friend."_

"_I see."_

"_Wait, so you think it's a person's past that makes them?" Sirius asked her._

"_Well, yeah. It's the events of a person's life that shapes them to be the person they are today. Take us for example. Had I not become friends with you, I probably would have lead the life of a perfectly obedient little girl who did everything mommy and daddy told her to."_

"_Yeah, but just because a guy goes out with a girl, it doesn't necessarily mean they have sex. Some of us still have morals, you know. I don't believe in one-night stands. I believe that if you truly love the person, that's when Junior gets to meet her. It's like taking a person home to meet your parents. It's a milestone and it requires a certain amount of chemistry to get there."_

"_Wow, I never would have pegged you as the conscientious flirt or the Don Juan with a heart."_

"_That hurts, Angie. If you're going to continue taking jabs at the way I lead my life, I'm going go to bed now." He said as he leaned forward, her next words deciding his next few actions that he took._

"_Alright, I'll deny my nature and play nicely." Angie said as he resettled himself into his seat on the couch. _

"Yeah, I remember that all too well. The leaves weren't so bad… It was the twigs that sucked more." Sirius smirked at the memory before past feelings of twigs in unwanted places chased it off his face. "You remember the first time I found out you're a witch?" He turned to her, blackness in his vision since the opaque leaves prevented the entry of light.

"Yeah, I do. Why?" Angie asked him earnestly.

_A shy six-year-old boy stepped up to the door of an incredibly white house. His straight black hair fell into his grey eyes. He tentatively raised his hand to the door and knocked the golden knocker. The circle made of two hands holding a crowned heart reassured him, welcoming relief. The serpentine knocker of his own door constantly managed to scare the wits out of him._

_A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a woman with blond hair and blue eyes. She smiled kindly at him, knowing exactly for whom he sought. "Come in, Sirius, Angie's upstairs brushing her teeth. She'll be down in a few moments." She ushered him in and showed him into the living room._

_Quietly, he took a seat on the sofa that had the stairs in plain view. He looked about the room and _

_noticed how much it contrasted with his own. The furnishings were bright, the sun poured in, the pictures were all smiling at him and both kids were displayed evenly. The house radiated love. He could not say that his own parents hated him but he could be sure that they thought of him as a disappointment for 'making friends with the muggle next door'. He sighed regretfully that his friend probably would not like him after he told her the truth about him, about why she had never been inside his house before and why his mother hated her already with a fiery passion._

_He looked down at his hands and began to twiddle his thumbs. He tried desperately to push thoughts of his own home away as he immersed himself in the activity of playing with his phalanges. He had almost gotten into the swing of rotating his thumbs perfectly when a thought occurred to him. However, he had no time to react upon the thought because at that moment, a six-year-old girl began her descent upon the stairs._

_She had almost made it down perfectly when she lost her footing on the third last stair and was about to hurl face first onto the last stair. Sirius stared in horror as his friend's face came within an inch of the stair. It was with curiosity that he noticed her back arch gracefully backwards as she came to her _

_feet once more. His mouth fell open as Angie levitated down the stairs gracefully._

_Angie straightened her clothes, not having noticed her friend staring at her, mouth agape. She tugged at her tee shirt and shorts, pushed her hair out of her face and then took note of Sirius. The satisfaction on her face wiped off. "How long have you been sitting there, Sirius?"_

_Sirius still had his mouth hanging open. Disbelief and wonder danced through his head but it was promptly swept away by relief and joy. "Since you were upstairs brushing your teeth." He said quietly._

"_Oh. Well, I understand if you don't want to be friends with me anymore. Just, do me a favour: don't tell anyone I'm a witch." She said quietly, her heart sinking into the acidic pit of her stomach. He was her first friend and she had wanted more than anything to be friends with him until she absolutely had to leave him._

"_Witch? You're a witch?" Sirius asked her._

"_Yeah, my grandmother's one, my mother's one and I'm one. How else would I have been able to do that, silly!" She said simply. It hadn't occurred to her yet that he was staring at her with awe and not disgust._

"_That's so groovy! I thought it would be bad when __**you**__ found out about __**me**__!" He exclaimed, pure delight emitting from his facial expression._

"_What do you mean when I found out about you?" She asked, relieved that he had not rejected her._

"_I'm a wizard. My mom's a witch, my dad's a wizard and I'm a wizard too!" He grinned at her, satisfied with himself. He would actually keep this friend._

"_Wow!" Angie said, running at him and hugging him. "Sirius, you're my bestest friend!"_

_Sirius returned the hug, smile displayed across his face when a thought occurred to him. _

"_Are you a pureblood?" Sirius asked, hoping he may be able to throw it in his mother's face later on._

"_Um, yeah. I think so." Angie told him, curious why he would ask such a thing. "Why?"_

"_My parents are pureblood fanatics. They're not fond of you because they think you're a muggle."_

"_If you haven't noticed, all the pictures in this house move."_

"_So they do. Let's go to the park." _

* * *

"Well, that was the first time that I felt as though I had found my first true friend. Earlier in my life, when something weird happened, I was blamed for it because I was 'the freak'." Sirius told her. 'Not to mention I felt so much closer to you.' He wanted to add.

"Oh… I see. I'm getting kind of claustrophobic in here." She said as she pushed the leaves aside. Her relationship with Sirius, it seemed to her, was an odd one. They would step on each other's feelings and then make up in the weirdest ways. Covering each other in leaves was **not** a normal way to apologize.

Sirius sighed and looked down, aware that he was still covered by leaves. Every time he felt like he was getting closer to Angie, she would push him out. It certainly was not like that when they were children or until they reached third year. Why had it changed then? What was different about them?

He looked up and saw Angie standing beside the pile of leaves, waiting for him to get up. He turned once more and lifted himself from the pile and flicked his wand. The leaves flew back into a neat pile. He looked at Angie and saw that she had leaves in her hair. "Let me get those for you." He told her as he pulled the foliage from her hair.

Angie looked at him as he did so and noticed that he had leaves of his own. She pulled his head down to her level and began to pull the leaves from his hair. Their eyes locked for a moment, fingers still in each other's hair, colour creeping into their cheeks, the same electricity from Angie's birthday recurring between them. Nervously, they retracted their limbs from one another.

"I don't know about you but I'm kind of hungry." Angie quipped nervously.

"Yeah, I am. Let's go get something to eat." Sirius said. Both turned and made their way to the castle, neither of them uttering a word.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

The next morning, after Angie and the Marauders had wrecked havoc upon the Slytherin common room, the Great Hall was filled with a buzz. Some of the most menacing Slytherins were dressed as babies without their knowledge.

As predicted, they did not understand the significance of their common room decorated in a Gryffindor nursery motif but were still outraged by the "Baby Wants Its Rattle" sign stretched over the fireplace and the stuffed animals that were strewn across the dorms with the occasional rocking chair. The fact that their beds had been transfigured into giant cribs had irked most of them.

Angie, Lily and the Marauders strolled into the Great Hall casually. They howled with laughter upon seeing the fruit of their labour, their laughter drowned by the laughter of the rest of the school. The Slytherins were confused and thought that the rest of the school had been bitten by a bought of insanity that could not affect their noble house.

Their laughter died when they saw a few of the teachers make their way toward them. Professors Cappella, Vitreous, McGonagall and Sprout made their way to the newly arrived Gryffindors. Cappella had a murderous gleam in his eyes, expression solemn. Vitreous, McGonagall and Sprout, however, looked as if they were biting back fits of laughter.

"You!" Cappella bellowed to the Marauders, Angie and Lily, "What have you done to the entire Slytherin house?"

"We did something? Really? Why am I unaware of it, then?" Angie asked him, a look of innocence playing on her face.

"Yes you did!" Cappella roared. "You changed my entire house into a nursery and its members into babies!"

"Are you sure it was us and not someone looking to frame us?" James asked.

"Yes, I am certain!" Cappella yelled, looking to McGonagall for support.

"Then prove it." Remus beckoned the man.

"Yes, do prove that it was my house and not one of the others, Professor." McGonagall urged him.

She was glad that mischief had come with caution this time around.

"I… I… I can't. I just know it was them!" Cappella stammered.

"Without proof, you've got nothing on us, sir." Angie said. "Now, may we please eat out breakfast?"

Cappella looked at her like she had just asked him to be her slave for the day. His intuition was yelling at him that it was them who had committed the heinous crime against his house.

"Sorry, Hedrick, you've got nothing on them. You need to let it go." Vitreous placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him the other way.

Angie turned to the Marauders triumphantly. They had just gotten away with a great prank with three out of four teachers supporting them. "Am I good, or am I good?"

**A/N: Terribly sorry for the immensely long delay. I apologize a thousand times. Prom, exams and Convocation held me back… Not to mention the arrival of a friend from out of town and a trip to Toronto (I hate that city). I had half of it written before prom but throw in a packed schedule and a writer's block and you've got a story on hiatus. Not to mention that I am trying to be consistent in chapter length and writing quality. **

**Um, I am aware that the sorceress bit sounds like Final Fantasy (VIII to be more particular) but it's all in the name of the plot, I swear. Without it, it wouldn't make sense. Oh, and I am aware that this is a filler chapter… That may be why it took me so long to write… Hm… I'll look into that.**

**I had something else to say but I can't remember what it was. Oh wait, I do! I've GRAD-JUH-TATED from HIGH SCHOOL! party hats, streamers and noise makers for all**

**Popcorn and cookies to Inwe Tasartir and Aaliyah-Charity for the reviews. **

**Anyway, since you've made it this far, why not go further and gimme a review? Sound good? I might get the next chapter up sooner… That's what I thought.**


	6. Heartbreak?

**Chapter 6: Heartbreak?**

November found its way quite quickly to Hogwarts. The students were excited that there was less than two months until Christmas. Devout fanatics of the holiday made it a habit to shout the amount of days remaining before Christmas as students passed them in the hall. It was almost as big as some rock star coming to the school.

James Potter still had not given up his conquest on Lily Evans. He had tried on several occasions to get her to accompany him to Hogsmeade or "help" him with his homework. Those several occasions, Lily had adamantly declined before walking off to find Angie.

Angie and Chase were still going steady, approaching their two-month mark. They were not constantly side-by-side: both understanding the other's need for space. Thus being said, Chase still could not help but feel like a third wheel whenever they ate at the Gryffindor table. He understood that his girlfriend's best friend was a boy. However, why she had to be best friends with a particularly handsome boy, he did not know.

Rachelle and Sirius were still together, but why, Angie had no idea. Rachelle only knew how to talk and talk. She was not particularly bright but Angie supposed the fact that she was blonde and easy might have something to do with it. To Angie's relief though, Rachelle was not a constant figure at Sirius' side. For that, she was grateful.

"Hey, Angie, I got to go work on a transfiguration essay with Rachelle. McGonagall paired us together." Chase whispered to her one fine November morning. He looked across the table to see that Rachelle had told Sirius the same thing.

Angie looked at him, then at Rachelle before nodding her understanding. "Go ahead. Don't let me stop you. This is a school, after all." She told him before kissing his cheek.

Chase and Rachelle left the Great Hall together, disappearing from view. Angie looked across the table to see a much happier Sirius Black. "What're you so happy about? She's your girlfriend."

"Yeah, but she talks too much." Sirius said honestly.

"I see." Angie said as she finished off her plate. After a few moments, the rest of the Marauders had finished and all rose to leave. Angie saw that Lily had left without her but she did not care enough to throw a fit over it. Instead, she rose and left the hall with the boys.

Angie found herself walking beside Sirius, making her way to the next class at his side. They were listening to James recount his tales about constantly being snubbed in all his attempts to get Lily to go on a date with him. Angie and the three other Marauders laughed jovially at James' desperation, all knowing that it would be a cold day in Hell before Lily acquiesced to his request.

James was about to turn to Angie for help on the matter when the sound of falling bottles and mops came from a nearby broom closet. They all exchanged a few chuckles, murmuring about broom closets being unsafe from lusty lovers.

Sirius smirked deviously before turning back to the others. Upon earning approving nods and anxious faces, he opened the door and began to give the couple a lecture about using silencing charms, laughing. When his eyes were open wide enough, he realized just who exactly occupied the closet.

He turned around and hoped that Angie had not remarked the broom closet tenants. Noticing the smile quickly falling off her face, he looked to the couple, anger fortified with each passing second.

There, with his trousers and boxers around his ankles, shirt undone and un-tucked, tie cast to the side was Chase Trevors. His face was currently vacuuming the flesh on a blonde's neck and it was clear with each movement of his hips that he was close to the end of his current state of occupation.

The blonde in question's face was contorted in what looked like ecstasy. Her skirt was hiked up around her waist, her knickers were strewn carelessly on the floor, her legs were straddling Chase's waist, shirt unbuttoned and finger nails raking the boy's back. It took a moment to for the troop to realize that it was indeed Rachelle Collins.

A moment later, the two were done with their quick quest for ecstasy. They readjusted their clothing and soon became aware that the door was opened. Hands still fidgeting with the fabric of their clothes, the deer-caught-in-the-headlights look soon took over their faces. Shock and realization made their way into their minds. Chase briefly had a moment to notice his girlfriend amongst the audience and that her best friend was standing there in the open doorway.

Angie felt her eyes well up, tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks and roll to their doom down her face. She stood in shock, raised a hand to her mouth to cover the hole her jaw had left open. She spun on her heel, ran towards the common room as opposed to the Defence Against The Dark Arts class she had next.

Sirius fought a battle within his mind. He was free of the blonde but the asshole had torn his best friend's heart to pieces. He could not tell whether he ought to be ecstatic or angry. He finally let out a reaction as he made up his mind.

"Rach, we're done." He said coldly to the blonde before he turned to the jerk that had just shattered his best friend to tears. "What were you thinking? She actually liked you. She trusted you and this is what you do to her?! Are you just too damn horny to wait for her? I swear to the gods above that if you just so happen to lay so much as another finger on her, I will see to it that your spinal column is ripped out of your ass and beaten repeatedly over your head before I feed your wretched carcass to the next hungry dragon I just so happen to see."

Chase stood there, fear drenched over him. Sirius Black, his ex-girlfriend's best friend had just promised to beat him until certain death with his own spinal column. He nodded his head, knowing that his previous relationship was over the moment the girl had fled, that his life was over as soon as the word "done" had been uttered to the girl next to him and that all chances for reconciliation had been decimated in the short period of time that had elapsed. He watched as Sirius turned his back to him, muttered something to his friends and headed in the direction completely opposite Defence Against. All the while, a silent voice at the back of his mind shouted that something was wrong with the current picture.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Sirius Black raced up the staircases of Hogwarts, not pausing to register the startled faces of the students who stared at him. He had one place to go, one girl to save- one girl to comfort. He paused briefly at the portrait of the Fat Lady to give a password so that the door would swing open. He trekked through the common room and stopped to pet the gargoyle that protected the stairs to the girls' dormitories. He scaled the stairs two by two before arriving at the sixth years' room. He stopped a moment to knock on the door before strolling in.

The sight before him made his heart contort itself. There, on her bed, was his best friend, sobbing into her pillow. It was a sight that was uncharacteristic of her. Never in his life had he seen Angelica Benson cry… Until now.

He made his way across the gap that separated the two, pushed her hair back from her face and dried the shed tears. He took a seat on her bed beside her and proceeded to rub her back. He made shushing sounds, hoping to calm her. He leaned down beside her, taking in the scent of salty tears and green apple shampoo.

"Angie, are you alright?" He whispered to her.

Still sobbing, Angie shook her head. Her face remained buried in her pillow as her body continued to shake with each shaky breath being drawn. She felt as though her world had crumbled around her. It had not occurred to her that the person next to her was a boy, someone who was not supposed to be able to climb the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Nevertheless, she was somewhat happier that he was there with her.

"Angie, I know you probably don't want to leave but McGonagall periodically checks the Gryffindor suites for skippers and whatnot. So, unless you want a detention- which I seriously doubt- we need to go somewhere else." He told her calmly as he continued to rub circles in her back.

Angie sniffed a few times as she sat up. She rubbed her eyes and continued to draw deep breaths. Sirius drew her into a hug and whispered reassurances into her ears. He lifted her to her feet effortlessly. However, when her knees gave way, he scoped her into her arms and carried her down the stairs. He bought her over to an armchair and placed her down.

"Hang on a moment. I need to get something before we go." He told her before he turned to ascend the boys' staircase.

He crossed the room on a makeshift path where clothes had been set aside. He made his way to James' trunk and pulled out the invisibility cloak. He pulled out a small piece of parchment to scrawl a small note to James about the whereabouts of his cloak. He quickly made his way down the stairs once more to his sorrowful friend.

"Hey, are you okay to walk?" He asked her. Angie shook her head 'no'. He nodded and kneeled down for her. "I'll give you a piggyback ride there, then, okay?"

Angie nodded and climbed on him, arms wrapped around his neck. He threw the cloak over them before getting up and exiting the common room. They made their way to through the castle, walking silently through the halls. Sirius could feel Angie shake against him, holding back the impulse to cry and blow their cover. He paced at a certain spot for a few moments before a door appeared. He opened the door and the couple entered into the Room of Requirements.

The room before them was almost identical to the room they had visited approximately two months ago. Pillows were in abundance; the carpet was warm and plush, the grandfather still in its place as well as the fireplace. This time, however, there was a bed in the far corner and a dartboard hung on the wall.

Sirius made his way over to the bed and gently dropped Angie. He turned to look at her in time to see her eyes mist over and tears forming in the corners. He sat down beside her and drew her into a hug, whispering that everything would be alright and that Chase was a fool for letting go of her. He rubbed her back as her body continued to convulse with tears, not caring that his shirt was being soaked through with salty tears. He let her cry herself to sleep as he just held her, thinking about the events of the morning. 'How dare he, that little miscreant, hurt the best thing that ever happened to me?' Sirius thought but soon caught himself. 'The best thing that ever happened to me? Where did that come from? Angie's my friend. Well, she's my best friend… Has been since we were four… I suppose she is the best thing that ever happened to me… She hasn't told me that I'm a traitor yet… She hasn't called me names… Or at least, not ones that sting. Well, if you think about it, the names…' His thoughts continued to flood his mind- all equipped with random tangents- as the girl slept in his arms.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

It would be four hours before Angie woke up once more. She shifted in her sleep, face buried deep into what she thought was a pillow, only to be too close to consciousness to further her sleep. Inhaling sharply, she lifted her head and felt that her chest cavity was being held down by an unknown force. She made a face when she saw that the pillow had buttons and defined muscles. She looked upwards, eyes not stopping until they found the sleeping face of Sirius Black. Confused, she turned her head in both directions and saw that the room they were in was definitely not her dorm room. She tried to move once more, hoping that perhaps it would clear her mind of thick confusion that had settled there in her state of disorientation.

Unfortunately, her last movement had jerked her best friend from his slumber. He opened his eyes in time to see the frantic look of panic ebb over his best friend's face. He smiled, knowing that the panic was probably better than the depression that would set in over her features once she recalled the events of the morning. For now, he'd deprive her of the misery that would find its way to her in due time.

"Morning, sunshine." He greeted her.

"Sirius, what happened? What did we do? Oh dear, please don't tell…" Suddenly, the frantic panic disappeared from her eyes. In its wake, realization crept into them before the final lull of despair took over. The scenes of that morning flooded through her mind and carved the value into her heart.

Sirius saw the emotions play over her face and smiled a grim smile before pulling her closer. "Hey, shh… Everything will be alright. You'll get over that prat, move on with your life. But for now, if you feel like crying, go ahead. Use my shoulder if you want to. I'm here for you."

Angie listened to Sirius, amazed that her highly masculine friend could be so kind, caring, compassionate towards her. As a child, he made a point of playing the knight in shining armour because it was befitting for the boy to play hero. Now at school, he played his pranks with his friends because it was the typical male thing to do… Or so she thought. But it thunderstruck her to think that he was here, offering his shoulder for her to cry on.

Suddenly it struck her: she had cried. He had seen her cry. She never let anyone see her cry. She looked up at him, unsure of what to do. Should she hit him for suggesting that she was weak? Or should she thank him for being there? Or maybe she ought to just say nothing and hold onto him for dear life… She sighed audibly as the options tugged at her mind. She furrowed her brow as she continued to assess the results each option would present.

Sirius saw her staring at him strangely. He started to panic because he did not know why she was giving him the looks she was. Then it happened.

"Sirius," She whispered, "Thank you for staying with me. But please, don't tell anyone I cried. I'd rather they speculate that I did as opposed to them having proof that I did. I mean, I never cried before." She lied. "I'm not that weak. I don't even know why I cried just then. It's-"

"Angie, it's fine." He cut her off. She was explaining to him when she didn't have to. That asshole had just ripped her heart out and squished it while it was still beating. "I won't tell anyone. I don't think you're weak for having cried. I think it's normal for you to have cried. Your boyfriend just cheated on you. And not in that 'Oh, I was just making out with her' way either. But it's his loss. Angie, you're a beautiful and wonderful person. If he can give you up so easily like that, then he doesn't deserve you." He hugged her again.

Angie was at a loss for words. Sirius was comforting her, telling her that she was a "beautiful and wonderful person" that Chase "doesn't deserve". Sirius was astonishing her more and more as the seconds passed by. She did not say anything, only immersed herself further into his embrace and held onto him. She blinked her eyes as she processed what he had said to her.

"Are you ok? You haven't hit me yet or made fun of me yet." Sirius looked down and asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just amazed. It's a side of you that I've never seen before."

"Oh."

"What I meant to say is that, twelve years later, you still find ways to astonish me." Angie continued with a blank look in her eyes. It was then that her stomach grumbled. "What time is it?"

Sirius looked up at the grandfather clock. "Two o'clock. Lunch is over, classes are in full swing. I suppose that means I'll stop the kitchens and knick us some food, alright?"

Angie nodded and let go of him. She saw the tear stain on his shirt and frowned. She waved a hand over it and it disappeared. It was a rare display of her sorceress magic. Being a sorceress was something that Angie had not fully understood so she rarely practised it without the guidance of either her mother or grandmother. She quietly got off him and watched him walkout the door with a promise to be back in a few before his slipped on James' invisibility cloak.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

True to his word, Sirius was back in less than ten minutes with a sack containing two sandwiches, a flask of pumpkin juice and a couple pieces of apple pie. He smiled when he saw her and made his way to the bed.

"What's for lunch?" Angie asked him.

"The house elves' specialty of chicken club sandwiches, pumpkin juice and apple pie." He took his place next to her opened the bag and distributed the food.

"This looks marvelous. Thanks."

Sirius stopped her. "You, my dear, need to stop thanking me. You're my best friend and I'd do anything for you. You just need to ask and I'll do it."

"That's a very dangerous promise to make, Sirius. You shouldn't make it unless you fully intend to keep it."

"Angie, of course I mean to keep it. I have no intension of breaking any of the promises that I make."

"Alright. I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"I think I'll just save myself any further embarrassment and stuff my mouth with food." She said before she took a large bit of her sandwich.

Lunch was devoured without further event. Both parties were happy just to be in the other's presence. It was after lunch that proved to be of more interest. Angie challenged Sirius to a game of darts. For the fun of it, Sirius conjured a picture of Chase and pinned it to the center of the board. He smiled at his handy work and took his place next to her. Each of them had three darts each and stood ten feet from the board.

"Are you sure we're not too close?" Angie asked as her first dart lodged itself in the middle of Chase's nose. The boy in the picture had an expression of utter contempt as he tried to move but found that he was rooted to the spot under the offending dart.

"No." Sirius said as his dart sailed through the air and made its way to the center of the boy's forehead.

"Alright. But I don't see why you put the picture there. I'm over it." She tossed her next dart.

"Really? That was a really quick recovery then." Sirius said as he threw his next dart.

"Yeah, well, the feelings I had for him were starting to die down. He was never around anymore and I thought that maybe he had lost interest in me. I was actually quite happy with that and I was about to break up with him until he found his way into Rachelle's skirt." She cast a sideways glance at Sirius. "I'm sorry. I forgot that she was with your girlfriend."

"Don't be. I didn't really care about her. She talked too much. That's all she ever really did, talk. I mean, there was nothing there." He glanced at her momentarily, mischievous gleam in his eye. "We never really did anything. The only way I managed to get ten minutes of silence was to get her to give me a blow job."

Angie completely missed the board. "Sirius, I'd really rather not hear of your sexual endeavors. They're really none of my business and for you to tell me about them makes me feel like I'm intruding on something that I have no place in."

Sirius grinned. "I know. I just thought it'd make a wonderful joke."

Angie cast a sideways glance at him once more, shook her head and smirked. "So, just how many people have you slept with anyway?"

"Well now, for someone who claims to have no interest in my personal affairs, you sure are nosey."

"Well, you seemed so willing to share your past experiences, I thought I'd save myself the surprise attack and attack you with it instead. Metaphorically speaking, that is."

"Of course. Well, if you must know, three."

"So, who's the new girl you slept with?" Angie asked, mildly curious.

"You."

Angie stared at him for a moment. "What do you mean? We never slept together."

"Really? Then what was that a few hours ago? I could have sworn we were both asleep in the same bed."

"Aw, Sirius, you know what I meant. How many people have you had sex with?"

"Two."

"Oh. Ok. No change since the last time I asked you then."

"None whatsoever."

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

The rest of the day passed by well enough. Angie and Sirius continued their talk together, both recovered from the morning's events. They spent that night in the room, not feeling the need to go down to the Great Hall for dinner. They spent the night in the bed where they fell asleep together once more.

It would be at six o'clock the next day that the pair would wake up. Angie woke first, assessing the room once more after the clock tolled six. She looked at Sirius who lay there contently asleep. He had his arms around her and a faint smile on his face. He truly looked peaceful at that moment. He looked so peaceful, in fact, that she felt guilty waking him.

"Hey, Sirius, let's go for breakfast in the kitchens. It's Saturday and the elves don't serve breakfast in the hall for another three hours." Angie said as she gently shook him.

Sirius stirred from his sleep. He looked down at her and smiled. "Just like we used to then?"

"Yeah. I've missed doing that."

"Same here. Let's go."

The pair pulled themselves up and out of the bed. They opened the door and looked back at the room in which they had sought refuge in for the past day. For each of them, the room would bear great significance. Upon hearing the grumbling of their stomachs once more, they turned, invisibility cloak in Sirius' hand, and made their way to the portrait of the fruit bowl. Sirius tickled the pear in the painting and the door swung open.

Inside the room, hundreds of elves squealed with pleasure as the couple made their way in.

"Hi Milly, Tilly, Ginger…" Sirius addressed the small creatures.

"Master Sirius' Miss Angie is here too!" one of them squeaked.

Angie blushed upon being called "Master Sirius' Miss Angie" and greeted the small elf. She and Sirius made their way to the table in the back corner that they had sat many times.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Sirius asked her.

"Yeah. Do you remember the last time we were here?"

"Of course."

* * *

_A one figure sat alone in front of an unlit fireplace in a squishy red armchair. The darkness of the Gryffindor common room hung all over, absorbing the dimensions of the room into one black pool. The moonlight outside was denied by the curtains that covered the open windows._

_Muffled footsteps crept down the stairs. He knew she was there. He did not want to disturb her, but, as fate would always have it, she detected his presence. _

_"I don't know why you bother to try to cover your footsteps. I always know when you're here." She said to him._

_He froze, deer-caught-in-the-headlights look plastered on his face… Not that one could tell. He pulled up the only article of clothing on his fit body: his pajama pants_

_Slowly, feeling and groping about the room, he made his way to the windows and drew open the curtains. The incandescent light of the moon lit a few of the surfaces to reveal the objects that lay before him, obstacles on his path to the nearest armchairs. Actually, the term 'obstacles' is an over exaggeration and a childish one at that._

_She quickly drew a hand upon her face, wiping away the tears she had silently shed. Crying was a sign of weakness and she did not want him to see her in this condition. She sniffed and coughed to clear her throat before putting on a brave face._

_"So why are you awake this time?" Sirius asked her as he took a seat in the armchair next to hers. He stared at her in the moonlight, taking in her features as if for the first time. Half of her face lay in the shadows as the other shone in the light. Her blue eye glittered in the light, surrounded by beautifully long lashes. Her cheeks were rosy and the skin was smooth. Her full lips radiated red. Her cheekbone showed and her jaw-line was prominent as it led down a beautiful and slender neck. Her collarbone taunted him as it hid the crook in the shadows, promising treasure. He restrained himself from delving further down her figure._

_"Someone had to listen for diabolical laughter and it didn't seem as if you would do it." She answered his question, pulling him out of his reverie._

_It took him a moment to register that she was talking about Lativia, his current girlfriend. She had adamantly told him that Lativia was planning his ultimate demise and that Lativia was just using him for sex. It didn't bother him though. She never really liked any of his girlfriends anyway. He knew why. They were too scantily clad and overly friendly with other boys, usually two-timing him as he did them._

_"Angie, you never like any of them. I'm just as bad as they are and yet you seem to stick by me." He told her._

_"That's because I'm not friends with them." Angie replied._

_"Besides, she's not evil." He added before a moan was heard from the boys' dormitories. It was followed by a gasp and a scream of ecstasy._

_Angelica and Sirius raced up the stairs and into the room Sirius shared with four other boys. The curtains to the bed in the far corner- Hugh's- were open to reveal a nude blonde straddling and gyrating on top of Hugh, both about to reach their climax. Angelica and Sirius stood there, respectively smug and stupefied._

_"What were you saying?" Angie asked Sirius._

_As Lativia hit her climax, Sirius strolled over to Hugh's bed, bent down and whispered in her ear, "Was it good?"_

_Lativia was sill dazed and sighed a "yes" before she realized it was Sirius who had spoken to her. "Shit. Sirius, I'm sorry. I woke up and you weren't there and-" She started to stammer before she saw Angie standing in the doorway. "You were with HER?!" She yelled, point at Angie._

_"Angie's been my friend since we were four years old. Nothing happened. Just like there's nothing between us anymore." He turned his back to her and continued out the doorway to the common room. Sirius Black found himself single once more as he lay on the common room couch._

_"Angie, why does this keep happening to me?" He asked her as she sat next to his chest and stroked his hair._

_"Because you kept on looking for the one who'd land you in the sack as soon as possible?" She tried to make him laugh but failed miserably. "Sirius, don't take it personally. It's just another sign that says it wasn't meant to be. She just didn't love you, that's all." She told him. "I'm sure you'll find the right girl for you, Sirius."_

_"Angie, what would I do without you?" he asked as he pulled her down next to him, holding her as he used to hold a teddy bear._

_  
"Declare your eternal love to a gorgon only to turn to stone when she lays eyes on you." She answered as they both fell asleep on the sofa._

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

_The five o'clock sun woke Angelica up before Sirius. Thankfully, it was a Saturday morning and most of the students were too busy catching up on their sleep. She removed herself from Sirius' hold and stood to watch him sleep._

_His neck-length hair had fallen over his face, prompting her to push it back behind his ear. Dark lashes marked the end of his eyelids. Chin tucked into his neck, soft-looking lips slightly drawn into a smile. He was peaceful. He was happy. She did not want to wake him._

_She knelt down on her knees and gently shook him. "Sirius, you need to get up from here before everyone sees you here yet again."_

_Sirius groaned as he hesitantly sat up. "What time is it, Angie?"_

_"Quarter after five on a beautiful Saturday, the sixteenth of March, nineteen seventy-four." She answered him._

_"Five fifteen?! Why did you wake me up so early?" He asked as he laid back down on the sofa to get some more sleep._

_"I woke you because sleeping on the sofa isn't good for your neck and you'll get your title back, Couch Potato."_

_"Crap." He sat up once more and wiped the sleep from his eyes._

_Angie took the moment to observe him once more. All those years of playing beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team had been good for him. His stomach was flat and well defined, abdominal muscles looking as though they had been carved into his figure. His arms were built, large muscular biceps and triceps were prominent. However, as soon as he stopped, she blinked her eyes and refocused on his face._

_"I saw that." He said as she gave him her best "What?" face. "Go get dressed. I'll meet you back down here in half an hour. We'll go for breakfast before the others."_

_Angie strolled over to the girls' staircase while Sirius went to the boys' staircase. They respectively went through their separate routines and met once more in the common room. Sirius waited in the common room for a few minutes for Angie. He was dressed in jeans and a tee shirt. Soon, Angie made her way down the stairs in a denim skirt and v-neck sweater._

_"Now, Angie, are you trying to impress someone?" Sirius asked her, slightly mocking the attire._

_Angie blushed slightly before changing the subject. "I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat before my stomach digests itself."_

_Sirius laughed and stuck his arm out for her which she jovially accepted. Together, they marched out of the common room and toward the kitchen._

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

_Within the kitchen, among the numerous house elves, Angie sat in front of Sirius, eating a fruit-covered waffle. Sirius, however, searched for the answers to his questions in a bowl of cereal. Angie noted the long look on her friend's face and decided to break the ice… After she swallowed her food._

_"Penny for your thoughts?" She offered._

_Sirius jumped, obviously startled by Angie's sudden interjection. "I was contemplating why I can't seem to find the right girl. It usually ends with me finding another girl and leaving the other behind." He continued to brood once more into his cereal._

_"Well, Sirius, you do know that you're only fifteen, right?" Sirius nodded, understanding the first point Angie was trying to make. "Well, Hogsmead wasn't built in a day. I guess this time Lativia decided to get the upper hand and not be the one hurt. Besides, it was about time anyway."_

_"What do you mean by 'it was about time'?" A slightly angered Sirius demanded._

_"Well, every two weeks, you're bored with the flavor of the two weeks so this one's gone and in with the next one. It may be mean to say but I look forward to our breakfasts every two weeks. They're the little rituals that put life in check." She laughed. Internally, she reprimanded herself for letting it slip._

_"Well now, it seems I have a friend who indulges in S&M." Sirius commented as her stared at her. Angie scrunched her face to indicate that she did not understand. "Sadomasochism." Angie laughed. "You realize how much you risked by saying that to a Marauder, right?"_

_"Not that great of a risk if you think about it. I've known you since we were four years old and have repeatedly placed frog spawn and itching powder in various places that it'd boggle your mind. Of course, it made you scratch yourself for days on end. Besides, I could get away with anything around you." She ate another piece of her waffle. "Want some?"_

_"Sure." Sirius helped himself to her plate. "I suppose you probably could…"_

* * *

"That was the last time that I was truly broken-hearted." Sirius said, memory still fresh in his mind. 

"Really?" Angie looked at him. "I remember you were livid the last time a girl broke up with you… Oh wait, that was someone else. Hm, I suppose it was the last time that you actually cared. Why did you stop caring anyway?"

Sirius froze. What was he to say? Was he supposed to tell her that he stop caring because of her? No, never. That would be the worst thing he could do. "I just got used to the idea that if we didn't last, no matter whose fault it was, it wasn't meant to be." It was not entirely true but it certainly was not a lie. It was half the reason.

**Terribly sorry about the extremely long delay. Thing were quite hectic This past month and a half. A friend came down from London, Ontario so I spent most of my time outside of the house making his visit as nice as possible, then I went in for knee surgery and lately I just haven't really felt inspired. I had and incredible amount of trouble writing this chapter. I can tell that the quality of writing sucks major ass and that I milked it for more than it had. I'm not pleased with this chapter at all. Maybe one day, when I'm feeling inspired again, I'll look it over, give it a face lift, make it as beautiful as what I had in my mind. For now, this is what I have to offer and I know it isn't much. I'm sorry. Please review.**


	7. Make You Feel Better

**Chapter 7: Make You Feel Better**

1976 is coming to an end. The snow graces the grounds and snow angels are scattered in the snow. December is drawing a close to semester, ushering in Christmas with snowy arms. The second weekend marks the last trip to Hogsmeade that the year would witness.

Angie strolls the halls with Lily, discussing what the holidays could potentially bring. At the moment, it could be said that Angie does not care much for celebrating. The sentiment of being overlooked for possibly the one person she hated the most in all of Hogwarts still stings her heart.

To say that Lily does not noticed Angie's sullen mood would insult Lily's observational skills. The blunt traces of depression and lack of self-worth radiating from her friend serve no other purpose than forcing the Mother Goose instincts to surface. In a matter of weeks, Lily had managed to mature beyond her years, supervising Angie's eating and sleep habits.

"Hey, mind if I meet you in class? I need to go talk to someone."

"Yeah, sure." Angie sighs.

Lily nods and doubles back, looking for a certain young man.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Everyone is jovial. There is no trace of sadness or anger. This does not make sense to Sirius Black. He listens to James recount his latest exploit in the realms of pranking Snape, not really caring for the details regarding the Slytherin's reaction to suddenly acquiring a third nostril. Instead, he contemplates the event of the past month and how a certain girl who means the world to him is no longer the same. Something must be done about this.

As though fate had a plan in store for him, a certain redhead makes her way to where they are loitering. Immediately, James senses her presence and interjects before she manages to utter a syllable, "Would the lovely Miss Evans care to accompany me to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

Lily casts him a glare, not dignifying the request with an answer. Instead, she turns her attention to Sirius. "Black, we need to talk. Now."

Startled, Sirius snaps his head up to look at the woman who had issued the order. His brows furrow in confusion as he looks at her skeptically. "And why would that be, Evans?"

"Please don't tell me you haven't noticed the lack of luster in Angie's demeanor!" Lily pleads, "Every time I've talked to her these past few weeks, it's almost as though I'm talking to someone who's manic depressive. It breaks my heart to see her in such a state. Please, fix her."

Sirius nods his head in understanding, secretly happy that someone else shares his concerns. "Well, if you'll excuse us, Evans, I do believe we have some planning to do." At that, Sirius ushers the Marauders away, leading them to a nearby passage way.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Angie sits at the Gryffindor table with Lily, eating her dinner under the constant supervision of the redhead. She sighs before looking up and asking, "So, are you going to tell me who you left to go talk to?" She smirks at the end of the sentence, hinting at the possibility that she already has her mind in the gutter.

Lily eyes her carefully before answering, "No, not yet. And it wasn't as you're thinking of it."

Angie gives Lily a dull stare before continuing to systematically pile in the mashed potatoes. The answer only deepens her sentiments of solitude and rejection. Her supposed best friend will not supply her with the answer to a simple question. In her mind, best friends share secrets but she respects Lily's right to privacy.

"You know I'll find out sooner or later, right?"

"Well, of course. I told you I'd tell you later anyway."

It is at that precise moment that a certain boy casually strolls over to the pair and takes a seat next to Angie. Lily takes no notice as she continues to eat. He leans over and whispers in her ear, "I need to talk to you, ok?" He does not wait for an answer as he gets up and leaves the Great Hall.

Angie excuses herself and follows him out the Great Hall and into the Gryffindor common room. She closes the portrait hole behind her and joins him in front of the fire place.

"Are you going to tell me why you're miserable?" He asks her.

Angie stares at him, unable to identify the source of the question. "What?"

"You don't think I haven't noticed that your spirits happen to be at their all time low, do you?" He asks her, incapable of comprehending how she may arrive to that sort of conclusion.

She stares at him, processing what he has asked of her. "I don't think you would understand." She hopes it is enough for him to drop the matter. Destiny has her own ideas though.

He is taken aback by her response. Angered, he demands, "What the hell? You're not even going to try to explain it to me?" His mouth hangs open.

She closes her eyes, audibly exhaling, and thinks of the answer. Frustrated, she allows her legs to give way as she drops to the floor. She inhales sharply before exhaling with equal audibility. "Sirius, I-…. I've just been feeling so rejected lately."

The anger he feels dissolves as he watches her fall to the floor, her hair falling into her face. A feeling of helplessness washes over him, soon followed by sadness. He hates seeing her like this. "What?" He whispers as he kneels on the floor behind her, encircling her in his arms, "You think I don't understand what it feels like to be rejected? In case you've forgotten, I have been rejected before. You do remember that conversation we've had before in the kitchens, right? Do you want to know how I've managed to get over it? I remember who I have with me. I remember that I still have the guys' support; I remember that I have _your_ support." Angie looks at him, a small blush creeping across her face. Sirius takes a mental note of the blush, a small victory for him, before he continues, "Besides, you know I'm always here for you. You know I'd never reject you, right? It would be stupid and hypocritical of me to do so. You're one of the best things that has ever happened to me." Realization dawns on him after he has spoken the last sentence. He hopes she does not dwell on it too much.

Angie sighs and leans back into his embrace. She feels him rest his chin on her head and wraps her arms around his. In that moment, all of her inhibitions are gone, her troubles and worries seeping into the floor beneath her. It is then that she knows she was being foolish for believing she was doomed to a fate of rejection.

Her lack of verbal response reassures him. She has not goaded him about being mushy or weak yet. Physically, she has said more than necessary. He knows she believes him.

She surprises him when she turns gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you." She whispers, giving him a full smile before making her way to her dorm.

He remains in the same position on the carpet, reveling in the feeling of her lips on his cheek. This is the second small victory for him to occur in the span of a minute. Elated, he makes up his mind. It is going to happen tonight.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

"James." A voice whispered. "James! James, wake up!" It continued. The lump of sheets and flesh on the mattress was without a doubt the sleeping figure of the person known as James. "James! Come on! Get your lazy carcass out of bed this instant!" The lump on the bed shifted, pulled pillows and blanket over what could only be presumed to be the boy's head and groaned. "Prongs, I swear to god, if you don't get up this very instant, Evans is going to slaughter me." This seemed to lull the boy out from the protective cocoon of bed wear.

"Evans? Really?" The boy sprung up, eyes full of hope and amazement.

"No." The voice said bluntly. "But, now that you're awake, you're going to help me wreak havoc on a certain Ravenclaw prat."

"What? Come again?" James said.

"You, James Potter, are going to help me, your best friend Sirius Black, wreak havoc on a certain Ravenclaw, Chase Trevors." Sirius spelled it out for him.

"We don't think so. The clock says it's three twenty-seven in the bloody morning. The schedule says we have potions first thing in the morning. You do the math." James said as he pulled the blanket over his shoulder and flopped backwards onto his bed. He closed his eyes and bid sleep to come over him. To his dismay, however, sleep never came.

James Potter was a person with a mission. Usually, said mission was missing in action, thus making it easier for him to sleep. However, at this very moment, the mission was back. He was, after all, a marauder and a marauder's main focus was to pull pranks, a literal translation for 'wreaking havoc'. Now that Sirius had uttered the words 'wreak havoc', there was no way for him to sleep. It was as inexcusable as a dragon keeper falling asleep on the job, only to have said dragon demolish an entire muggle village.

He sighed, threw the sheet off him and pulled himself out of bed. He reached for a tee shirt and trousers, pulled them on and proceeded to find his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map. "All right, explain to me, dearest Padfoot, just what exactly are we doing this time?" He asked irritably enough.

Sirius was leaning on one of the posts of James' four-poster bed, silently remarking just how much of an open book his friend was. He stood up straight, cleared his throat and dusted himself off. "We, my dear Prongs, are going to transfigure the lower half of the aforementioned prat into that of a goat's. And I'm debating whether or not we ought to transfigure all of his clothes into frilly dresses."

James laughed. "I think we should have left that one for the Slytherins."

"No. This is one of those pranks that must be pulled on an individual, not a group. As a group, it would be less effective. However, we must, without a doubt, cast that lovely charm that causes the subject not to realize it. We can't have him go to McGonagall or Pomfrey to fix it before he makes his grand entrance to the Great Hall at breakfast tomorrow." Sirius remarked.

"Agreed." James said. He tapped his wand on the map and muttered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." before he whispered, "Lumos." He gave the cloak to Sirius and the two made their way out the Gryffindor Tower.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

"We need to find the boys' dormitories." James said as the took off the cloak.

"It's over there." Sirius stated all-knowingly as he pointed to the staircase on the left.

"How can you be so sure?" James asked, amazed that his friend had found it so quickly.

"The sign that says 'Boys' Dormitories' had nothing to do with it, I swear." Sirius said with mock innocence.

"Yeah, yeah, Merlin, shut up and let's go and get this over with. The sooner I can catch some sleep, the better." James muttered as he dragged his friend toward the staircase.

The two silently made their way up the staircase, poking in every room, hunting for their prey. Well, they did so until they realized that the year was labelled clearly over each door. They then marched up the staircase, intent on finding the one that said "Sixth Years". They managed to finally reach the desired room after passing the one labelled "Fourth Years".

"James, I don't understand it. I thought Ravenclaws are supposed to be smart." Sirius whispered to his bespectacled companion.

"They are." James whispered back.

"Then why is it that they have fourth proceeded by sixth? What happened to fifth?" Sirius whispered back.

"Good question. Maybe we should have paid more attention at the sorting during second year… Wasn't that the year we convinced the house elves to dye the Slytherins' food gold and red?"

"I thought we managed to get them to slip saliva-activated pop rocks in their soup that year..." Sirius whispered back.

"No, that was last year. I remember Lily yelling at Remus for slacking off on his prefect duties on the first day." James replied.

"Oh. Maybe we did dye their food that year…" Sirius trailed off.

"Hey, Padfoot, no daydreaming. Let's do this and get out. What's rule number one again?" James snapped.

"Never get caught_, mother_." Sirius joked. "Spoilsport. And it's not quite day yet so it can't be 'day' dreaming."

The pair crept up to the bed of Chase Trevors. They pulled back the curtains to reveal their sleeping prey. The boy lay sprawled across his bed, his pillow tossed carelessly on the floor and his blanket twisted around his body like a piece of ribbon twirled around one's finger. Immediately, thoughts entered the two Marauders' minds.

"Well, 'X' marks the spot." Sirius said as he withdrew his wand. He was about to transfigure the boy's lower half when a thought occurred to him. "Hey, James! What's say you and I make this a little more interesting…"

James grinned a grin that only propelled the other to continue in a more devious plan. It would be four o'clock in the morning before the two finished their work.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

The next morning yields a happier Angie. The feeling of doom that enshrouded her dissipated, revealing a much more chipper adolescent. She sits in her place between Lily and Sirius, a small smile playing on her lips as she listens to Peter talk about his home.

At the precise moment that Angie reaches for a piece of toast, the sound of a goat makes its way into the Great Hall. The goat "baa-aaah"s before it stands on its hind legs so that its upper body may morph into that of a boy's. Chase's.

Angie laughs with the rest of the room at the spectacle in the center of it. Smiling, she turns to Sirius and hugs him. "You're awesome, you know that?"

Sirius returns the hug, "Nah… Anything for you, Angie."

Too soon by his standards, she pulls away, excusing herself to get ready for the last trip to Hogsmeade.

"Angie, are you coming with us?" James calls to her before she leaves.

"No, sorry." She does not notice Sirius' face fall a fraction before it resumes its usual mirth. "I've got a pile of Christmas shopping to do." She calls back before she leaves the Great Hall.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

The streets of Hogsmeade bear witness to throngs of shoppers. Couples could be seen in the streets as well, doing the couple-y thing to do. The wind nips at their faces, blowing snow in people's hair.

Angie makes haste in the streets, careful not to ram into people with the bags she already had. She had bought gifts for her parents, brother and the majority of her friends. She has one more gift to purchase: Sirius'. She strolls along the streets, perusing the windows as she passed them. His gift had to be perfect.

She sighs as she moves from one store to the next. She walks in and scrutinizes the objects around her. It is a plain and simple object that catches her attention. "Excuse me, sir, but could explain this to me? I'm afraid I don't quite comprehend the nature of these."

The old clerk behind the counter makes his way toward her. "Well my dear, you see…"

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

The next day saw the departure of the students for their homes. Trunks are dragged into compartments as students take their seats for the journey homeward.

Toward the middle of the train, a group of five sat in a compartment.

"We need to go make our round, Remus." Lily informed her prefect counterpart while getting up and leaving the compartment. Remus just sighed, offered an apologetic smile and left with Lily.

"Where's Peter?" James wondered out loud. He looked towards his best friend and Angie and saw that the situation was almost ideal. Sensing he may as well be labeled a third wheel, James rose from his seat and excused himself with an, "I'm going to go look for Pete."

Suddenly, Angie and Sirius found themselves alone in the compartment.

"So, um-"

"You're not going to leave too, are you?" Sirius cut Angie off.

"No… I was going to ask if I still get to indulge in invading your room on Christmas morning this year or if that's a no go due to recent developments."

"… Oh." Sirius paused and thought about it for a moment.

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

_Truly miserable days never began with any indication of their nature. The birds would chirp merrily, the sun would shine to a nearly blinding degree, the sky would be free of any sign of impending precipitation… It is this sort of day that Sirius Black would rue above others. At least on a gloomy and cloudy day, the chilly temperatures and foreboding skies did not lie about the possibility of a good day._

_The position in which he awoke was particularly comfortable. The lack of covers over his body made the heat more bearable. The absence of yelling on his mother's part made him believe the morning would lead to a stellar day. Unfortunately, Sirius had forgotten about Murphy's Law._

_"SIRIUS BLACK! GET YOUR LAZY CARCASS OUT OF BED THIS INSTANT!" His mother's shrill voice rang through the house as she entered it. The door closed and the silencing charms were suddenly in effect. _

_Sirius groaned, not wanting to listen… He had not actually listened to the fallacies that had erupted from his mother's mouth since the age of approximately three… Pretend to listen would be more accurate then. He had no intension of pretending to listen to the old hag on a chipper day like today. No, today, he would not even grant her the courtesy of pretending to listen. It may have been a foolish decision on his part._

_Contrary to his mother's orders, Sirius remained in bed, face still in the groove of his pillow, body spread over the bed, blankets on the floor. He was not finished dreaming about a pretty girl he had seen at a bar once. It was barely mid June and Sirius was already wishing for the summer to either end early or grant him a miracle. _

_Suddenly, the door to his room was wrenched open by the iron grip of an old shrew. The aristocratic feature of Mrs. Black contorted with disgust at the sight before her eyes: her son still lay asleep in bed, naked as the day he was born. "FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN, CLOTHE YOURSELF! HAVE YOU ANY SHAME? OF COURSE NOT! NOT WITH ALL THE FILTH YOU'VE SLEPT WITH! HAVE WE TAUGHT NOTHING?! DOESN'T HONOR MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?!"_

_In one fluid motion, Sirius managed to roll over and place his pillow strategically. He glared at the woman he was ashamed to call his mother and snapped, "Haven't you ever heard of manners and courtesy and that small gesture people call 'knocking'?"_

_With the same fluidity as her son, Mrs. Black was suddenly at the bed side, left hand sweeping across his face and stopping at the other side. "YOU DARE TALK BACK TO ME, YOU LITTLE MISCREANT?! HOW DARE YOU ATTEMPT TO EDUCATE ME IN YOUR LITTLE BLOOD TRAITOR WAYS?" Suddenly, her wand was withdrawn, pointed at him and releasing hex upon hex on him._

_Face full of blood and body painted with bruises and slashes, Sirius reached for the nearest blunt object and threw it at her. The metallic replica of the Black family crest made full impact with the woman's temple, effectively knocking her out. Cleaning off the cuts with the sheets, Sirius hastily stepped over her, careful not to wake her up. Hastily, he packed whatever he had not unpacked from his trunk back in. He pulled on a pair of shorts and went about his room in search of his broom. Finding it behind his door, he magically attached his trunk to it and kicked off out the window. Sirius Black was finally running away from 'home'. _

_He flew across the skies, hungry and drowsy, adrenaline numbing the pain. Twice he had almost flown into birds and trees but had managed to avoid them. Ten minutes later, he found himself at Godrick's Hollow. Ungracefully, he landed the broom but the trunk crashed to the floor as gravity won the battle with magic. Sirius groaned, slumping to the floor. The adrenaline had suddenly worn off._

_The sound of hard wood colliding with stone attracted the attention of a groggy James Potter. Confused by what was going on outside, James hauled himself out of bed to catch a glimpse of what was happening outside. Looking down, he saw his best friend passed out on the stone steps. Confused at first but inevitably panicked, James quickly made his way to the entrance, opened the door and pulled his friend inside, allowing the house elf to gather the broom and trunk. _

_"MOM!" James cried, "Mom!" He dragged Sirius into the living room and place him on a sofa. "Sirius? Sirius? Sirius, please wake up!"_

_Suddenly, Mrs. Potter burst into the living room, somewhat annoyed by her son's commanding shouts. "James, what the devil has gotten-" She suddenly stopped when she saw the unconscious teenager on her sofa. "What happened to him?"_

_James shrugged his shoulder, unable to provide his mother with answers. _

_"James, go get some cloths, a bowl of warm water and bandages. We need to clean these cuts."_

_James obediently left the room. He stopped off to his room and wrote a message, sending his beloved owl to deliver it with the most urgent orders. If anything happened to Sirius, she would want to know about it. _

_He then dashed about the bathroom, getting the supplies his mother had asked for. When he entered the living room, the fire place suddenly set ablaze with green flames and out came a girl before it extinguished itself. _

_"What happened to him?" A frightened girl asked._

_Mrs. Potter looked to the young girl, startled by her presence, and offered her a sympathetic shrug. James blushed at Angie's attire. It was clear to him that she had previously been sleeping. Suddenly, he remembered that he was just as un-presentable as she was. _

_Angie discarded any thoughts of indecency she may have had and assessed Sirius' condition. "I can't believe she did this again…" Angie whispered._

_"Who did what again?" Mrs. Potter asked her._

_"His mother." Angie supplied. James nodded, Angie's answer a confirmation of his speculations; his mother gasped._

_James watched as she set about cleaning the cuts and slashes, bandaging the injuries and whispering incantations over the bruises. She could hear him begin to stir as she finished._

_As Mrs. Potter left to empty the bowl of the red contents and clean the cloths, she felt a smile on her face as she looked at the two teenagers in the general vicinity of the sofa._

_Sirius heard someone call his name as he opened his eyes. The room around him was quite blurry and the voice sounded very familiar. He could make out a big brown blob that surrounded two small blue ones. Eventually, his eyes focused on the face of Angie Benson._

_"Sirius!" She cried as he hugged him, mindful of his injuries. _

_"Hey…" He managed to gasp._

_"Why didn't you come see me?" She asked. He could sense the hurt in her voice as she asked him._

_"Angie, you live next door to that house of… Oppression. I finally managed to escape from there and seeing it every day would probably mean I accomplished nothing. Besides, I doubt your father would allow my constant presence under the same roof as his beloved baby girl." He smiled; Angie nodded._

_"Aw, how sweet…" James teased from the corner._

"I guess not." Sirius said, snapping out of his reverie. "I'm still staying with the Potters."

"I see." Angie murmured.

"But you can always come visit. You know Mrs. Potter loves all of James' friends." Sirius added hastily. "Hey, you remember how I woke up to find you in a really high cutoff tee shirt and your nickers that morning?"...

Eventually, the rest of the group found their way into the compartment only to soon be joined by Cetus. The group laughed merrily as Lily continued to curse James' attempts to have Lily go out with him. The train chugged along the tracks, bringing them to a halt at King's Cross. There, the group disbanded, each going to their respective residences for the holidays.


	8. The Gift

**Chapter 8: The Gift**

The time between the train ride home and Christmas had passed soon enough. Angie spent most of her time with her family as they neared the holidays, engaging in snowball fights with Cetus quite frequently whenever they entered or exited the house. Quite soon, however, Angie feels herself being jolted awake from her sleep from the rhythmic impact of Cetus' feet crashing on the mattress before being airborne.

"Wake up, Angie! It's Christmas! Presents! Presents! Presents!" Cetus yells as he continues jumping on her bed.

"Ugh… What time is it?" Angie asks.

"Six o'clock! Time to get up! Up! Up! Up!" Cetus continues to jump.

"… mrr…." Angie mumbles before she trips Cetus on his last landing.

The eleven year-old sees that the ceiling is in the wrong place as he lands on his back on the mattress. "Hey! What'd you do that for?"

"Shut it, sea monster. I'm trying to sleep." An angry Angie growls before turning over once more to sleep.

"I'm going to tell mommy you called me "sea monster" again." Cetus whines.

"Have you ever bothered to look up the meaning of your name? Cetus was a sea monster in Greek mythology." Angie snaps before attempting to fall back asleep again.

"And what does Angelica mean? 'Nasty scum-sucking bottom feeder'?" Cetus retorts.

"No. Angelica means 'angelic'."

"…. Aw… Liar!" Cetus responds. As if by second thought, Cetus gets up and resums jumping on the bed. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

Half an hour later, a groggy Benson family finds themselves in the living room, watching the only entity with energy whiz about the room, dividing the pile of presents among them.

"Cetus, dear, remind me why we have to do this at 6:30 again." Mrs. Benson begs of her son.

"Because, mommy, you named me after a sea monster," Cetus answers as he continues moving about the room, "And, it's Christmas morning."

"Yes, I know, but why at six thirty?" Mr. Benson inquires of him.

"Because it's fun. Jeeze!" Cetus answers. "There. All done. Let the unwrapping begin!"

With that, Cetus happily tears into the wrapping paper enshrouding his gifts. Angie opens James' gift to find a record in her hand: Elton John's _Madman Across The Water_. There is a note on the gift that says, "Merry Christmas Angie! I wish I knew what this does or who this Elton John character is. Sirius said you'd love it so I trusted his judgment for it. Who knows you better than Sirius, right? Have an excellent holiday and I expect to see you soon. James." Angie smiles at James' note and begins with the next gift.

A small box from Lily was wrapped perfectly in red paper with a white bow on top. Upon opening the box, Angie finds a silver bracelet with the words "Best Friends" engraved on the inside. Angie smiles and knows it would go perfectly with the Celtic friendship ring she had given Lily.

From the corner, she hears her mom gasp. "Angie, it's beautiful!" She gushes as she holds the fire opal pendant in front of her.

"Merry Christmas, mom."

Angie turns her attention to the multitudes of thin, square gifts before her. Each of them is a record from her parents. The big box holds the gifts together: it was an enchanted record player. "This is awesome!" She springs up and hugs her parents.

Soon after, they begin to clean the wrapping paper off the floor. They had finished the great unveiling of Christmas. … Or so they thought.

"Angie, you forgot one." Cetus says as he brings over a large, white rectangular box. "It was buried under the wrapping paper."

Angie takes the box and sits down. She looks it over for a card but the only thing written on the box was her name. Gingerly, she removes the paper and opens the box. On top of the tissue paper is a card- an invitation.

"You are hereby invited to the Potter's annual New Year's Eve Ball." The invitation says. Angie smiles. She turns the card over and reads the second message: "I expect to see you there. Sirius." Angie sets the invitation aside and delves further into the box.

Inside is a white square pendant. When she lifts it, it changes to the same shade of light blue as her pajamas. He had given her a chameleon pendant. She places the pendant next to the card and watches it turn the same shade of crème as the couch. She pulls out the dress that was in the bow as well and regards its asymmetry and the sheer purple fabric over the white base. The very last objects in the box are a pair of shoes. Lavender dancer's shoes.

Angie replaces the contents back into the box and brings it up to her room. She places it on the desk and thinks about it before she realizes that she is probably just over-thinking the whole scenario, most likely getting ahead of her herself in her love fantasies. She quietly closes the door and rejoins her family.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

The day passes without further incident until exactly five o'clock comes around. Through the fireplace steps Mr. and Mrs. Benson… Senior.

"Granma! Granpa!" Cetus exclaims as he runs towards them with open arms. The two elderly people brace themselves for the impending impact of the eleven year-old boy. "Merry Christmas!"

"Cetus, dear, I don't know why you insist on making me heal my ribs every time Christmas comes around." Granma Benson smiles at the jovial twelve-year-old before she pulls out a wand and mends the fractured bones.

"When you're done with yourself, I could use a little healing to, Love." Granpa Benson gasps. "I left my wand at home."

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

"So, Angie, what did that wonderful boy of a best friend that you've got give you for Christmas?" Granma asks.

Angie blushes slightly at the overly zealous compliments her grandmother made before answering, "a complete outfit for a New Year's party at the Potter's."

Granma smiles knowingly, "That reminds me of the way a certain couple I know… I think I'm getting ahead of myself there, dear."

"Not to be rude or anything, Granma, but I think you were." Angie says as her face turns a lovely shade of chartreuse.

"Well, Angie, I think it's time we've had a certain discussion."

Angie looks at her grandmother in horror. The _last_ thing that she wants to her from her grandmother is the discussion about 'the birds and the bees'. The discussion would only lead to unwanted images of her grandmother and grandfather-

Granma's laughter cuts through Angie's thoughts of horror and embarrassment. "No dear, not _that_ discussion. I'm only supposed to give one of those lectures in my lifetime and that was for your mother." Angie remains horrified. "Look dear, you and I have to talk about who you are."

Angie exhales with relief.

"You, your mother, myself, we're all one of a kind. That isn't to say that your father and brother are clones or something like that. No. What I meant to say is, have you chosen a profession yet?"

"Well, I was actually thinking of becoming a healer. I guess that's what you get when you'd rather heal bones than break them, right?"

Granma Benson smiles. "Whether or not you realize it but all of the Baxter, that's your mother's side, women are healers. Some of them work here in London while others work in Ireland and Australia or somewhere just as far away. Your godmother Lucy just finished her training to become one. So you see, you were born to heal. Maybe not broken hearts but maybe ruptured ventricular walls."

"Well, I'm glad this was the big talk and not something else." Angie sighs with relief. "Why did you bring up Sirius though?"

Granma smiles again and says, "Well, the maternal side tends to marry either an auror or a fellow healer. I'm not implying anything… I'm just saying… Look out for those two professions, will ya, honey?"

**A/N: So, I promised this chapter for yesterday but I kinda forgot about it in favor of my homework. March Break is a disguise, an excuse for teachers to load up unsuspecting college students with mountains of homework (I swear, the Hymalayas are on my desk! I can't see over the papers and books!)... Subsequently, it's a catalyst for procrastination. Yay! So, I give you a really short, filler chapter that I don't really like... I like the next chapter alot better. I'll post it after I finish writing chapter 10...**

**So, um, please write me a nice little review... It powers my ego to write more, improve, whatever.**


	9. Beautiful Disaster

**Chapter 9: Beautiful Disaster**

Every year comes to a time that marks its death. It seems as though time accepts this temporary death before it begins another year again, a birth of sorts before it matures and dies once more. Today is the day that 1976 lies on its deathbed, lets out the death rattle and passes it on to 1977.

Today is the day that Angelica Benson paces around her room, trying to decide whether or not she goes to the Potters' to see him. Today is the day that Angie realizes she has neither seen nor spoken to Sirius since the train ride. Today is the day that she realizes she ought to have at least written him. He had written her.

Admittedly, he had written her, thanking her for the two-way mirrors she had given to him and James. There was not much in terms of the things she wants to read but she doubts she would ever read the words of never-ending love and passion from him. That is to be her sad truth.

The soft tapping of her mother's knock graces the room, stops her pacing, before her mother's voice asks, "Are you going to the ball tonight? It would be a shame to let such a pretty dress go to waste, my dear."

Angie sighs, a sign of defeat to her mother's logic. She is right. Angie had always wanted an excuse to get all dressed up but had never really found one until now. It would calm her desires to attend a high society party where she might have the pleasure of dancing with her best friend… So why was the decision so difficult? Because she might say or do something inappropriate? Because he might catch a glimpse of some pretty tart made up like a princess? That would surely sever her will power and heart in neat halves under the blade of the knife in his hand. Surely she must be over-dramatizing that little scenario… Why would he invite her to the party, buy her a beautiful dress and shoes only to abandon her in a throng of people? He would not. She hopes.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good. You should start getting ready then."

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

Angie spent a good six hours getting ready for the ball, determined to look absolutely perfect. Her hair is curled into long and thick ringlets, her eyes have a bit of mascara and eye liner around them and her nails are done. She had spent at least an hour soaking in the bath tub, making sure that she smells of lavender and her dress is on as well as her shoes. The only thing that remains is the pendant.

She lifts the pendant from its spot on her dresser in front of the mirror, brings it to her neck and fastens it. She looks herself over in the mirror and decides that she looks as good as she ever will. If he leaves her for someone else tonight, he may as well be a homosexual.

Quietly, Angie opens the door to her room, suddenly aware that the hall is cooler than her room and her chest reacts accordingly. Angie silently debates whether or not she ought to reconsider the bra-fashion statement her conservative side had proposed not too long ago. She shakes her head at the idea, sure that the reaction will go away after she adjusts to the hall. A bra band across her naked back and the strap poking out of the asymmetrical dress would make the whispers and giggles come out faster than any guest arriving in a clown car.

Angie makes her way to the stairs and lifts the hem of skirt before she begins her descent. Her mother and father are at the bottom of the stairs, watching her as she makes her way down the stairs. Mr. Benson's ego swells with pride as he watches his baby girl come down the stairs. Mrs. Benson beams as she snaps photo after photo while she declares that her daughter could easily win any beauty contest out there.

At that moment, Cetus runs into the hall to find his parents gushing at his sister. Not one to be out done by his sister in a dress, Cetus snorts and says, "Man, you can dress her up and do her hair but she'll still be the nasty scum-sucking bottom-feeder that tried to ruin Christmas for me!"

Angie, in her haste to beat her brother to a bleeding pulp, forgets that she is wearing high heels for the first time in years and trips on the stair fourth from the bottom and falls for the rest of her (formerly )graceful descent.

"I'm alright!" she cries in the tangled heap of dress, shoes and legs. Thankfully, the "twins" decided to stay in their designated area. Her mother rushes over to her while her father lifts her to her feet. Mrs. Benson quickly fixes her daughter's hair and straightens her dress.

Mr. Benson turns his attention to his son and is about to begin to lecture him about respect for his sister before his son darts out of the room, ready to be chased by the older man. Mr. Benson is not a man who is easily deterred. Like a cartoon, the moment Mr. Benson bolts from his spot, a poof of dust in his form remains behind. Angie can see that his shadow has trouble keeping up with him.

Angie forgets her anger and laughs as her father chases her brother around the house. Silently, she prays that her father will not run out of energy before Cetus does. The twerp has it coming.

Her mother leads her to the fire place and tosses in the floo powder for her daughter. After all, there isn't anything less attractive than floo power under your nails. Angie kisses her mother goodbye and steps into the fire place before shouting "Godric's Hollow!" In a roar of green flames, her body spins out of the fire place before the flames turn their normal shade of copper and dieing down to its normal lazy crackle.

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

Angie steps of the fire place and into one of the guest rooms in Godric's Hollow, otherwise known as the Potter Mansion. The room is lavishly decorated in scarlet and gold. In front of her, Angie sees a bed that could make the king of any monarchy swoon. Internally, she bets that every bedroom in the house has the same motif.

She looks down to inspect her dress and wills the ashes to come off of her. And they do. It's a handy thing to be, a sorceress, that is.

Behind her, a girl steps out of the grate, dressed in jeans and a tee shirt. The thick mass of red hair tells her it's Lily. And the jeans tell her she wasn't aware that not only was there a dress code, this is a ball. The look on Lily's face tells her that she has realized this too.

"Angie! Happy new year, I suppose. What am I going to do?!" Liliy panics, "I can't go down there dressed like this!"

"Lily, calm down." Angie grabs her by the arms and forces her best friend to look at her, "We're magical beings. We can deal with this."

Lily stops panicking to look at her with a skeptical look before she nods.

"Now, close your eyes and trust me."

Lily does as she is told, hoping that Angie doesn't accidentally transfigure her into a rabbit.

Without any effort at all, Lily's clothes and shoes disappear. In their wake, a V-neck crème colored dress with an open back appears on her body. Her shoes become a pair of crème colored strapped high heeled sandals. Her hair lifts itself into a pleated twist, her bangs professionally side swept and free. When she opens her eyes, not only have her prayers been answered, she realizes she looks absolutely fabulous.

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

"Sirius, I don't think either of them are coming. I mean think about it, neither of them have even written a response. I mean-" James Potter stops mid-freak out as a certain realization dawns on him. "I didn't even tell Lily it's a ball! What if she shows up in jeans and a tee shirt?! She'll hate me for the rest of her life!"

"James, shut up and turn around. Lucky you got your prayers answered." Sirius pointed to his best friend. "How does that make you feel?"

James turns around only to be met with the sight of beauty incarnated. The sheer beauty radiating off of her astounds him as she descends the stairs at an agonizingly slow pace, torturing him.

Finally, as her foot finally touches the floor, James greets her jovially, "Lily! You made it! Let me introduce you to everyone!"

Lily, however, casts her attention elsewhere. "Hi Sirius! Happy new year!"

Sirius laughs and returns the salutation and adds a charming comment about her attire. She gushes a bit, calls him sweet before excusing herself. He briefly watches the redhead leave, forcing James to trail behind her like a lost puppy, vying for her attention. He resumes his attention to the top of the stairs before a blonde comes into his view.

"Happy new year, Sirius!" the blonde calls to him as she envelops him into a hug.

At the top of the stairs, a door opens a tiny sliver to reveal to it occupant that her plan had not gone accordingly. Lily was supposed to walk down the stairs first, to take the attention off of her. It seems, however, that it has backfired since the one person Angie wants to notice her is in the arms of another girl.

"Happy new year to you too, Erin!" Sirius greets her with a small smile. She is not the one she wants to talk to at the moment. She is not the one he wants to see at the moment.

"Where's Angie? You look a little naked without her." The blonde smiles at her little joke.

"I don't know. Could you go check the rooms upstairs? I think she might be second guessing herself or something." Sirius asks her. Internally, he is hoping that she is at least upstairs pacing in a self-conscious manner. He does not know why she would be but it would be better than her absence altogether.

"Angie always seemed to be a confident person though. But, I guess since you asked, sure, I will. I take it you're going to keep an eye on the front door then?" Erin asks.

Sirius merely nods. Erin smiles and makes her way up to the stairs and opens a door.

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

Angie paces up and down in the room, wringing her fingers as the paranoid thoughts set in. 'They're lovers. They never got around to telling you. She seduced him one day during the break while he was here. He gave her a cheesy pick up line and she fell for it hook, line and sinker. He invited you here so you wouldn't feel left out. He-' The last thought never finishes as the door is wrenched open behind her.

"That boy must have ESP or something." A girl's voice fills the room as the door closes.

"Erin? What're you doing here?" Angie turns around and asks the blonde.

"I ran into Sirius at the bottom of the stairs and he looks absolutely miserable without you. So he sent me up here to look for you while he keeps an eye on the front door." The blonde cheerfully informs her. "Why are you pacing around here for?"

Angie averts her eyes, looking downwards, as a blush creeps across her face. "I was second guessing my presence here."

"Why?"

"Because I thought Sirius just pity invited me. I mean, it's stupid of me, I know. But we're best friends and some times, I feel like he's moving on without me or something." 'Bullshit,' her mind called her bluff.

"Well, don't. He's down there waiting for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I have an idea…"

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

At the bottom of the stairs, Sirius waits for the blonde to emerge from one of the rooms. She must have decided to powder her nose in one of the rooms. Trust her to get distracted by a mirror. Silently, Sirius hopes that she's convincing his best friend to forget whatever inhibitions she may have and come down the stairs already.

A moment later, the door opens and the blonde walks down the stairs. Alone. Sirius deflates dejectedly. She is not coming after all.

"I'm sorry, Sirius. She isn't up there." Erin places a hand on his shoulder, unspoken comfort.

"It's ok. I guess I'll stop moping around here then." Sirius abandons his spot against the wall for the first time in three hours and makes his way to the bar. He has completely given up because the sound of heels on marble does not attract his attention at all. He diligently makes his way to the bar and seats himself on a vacant stool. "Can I get a gin and tonic?"

Someone fills the stool next to him. He does not bother to look at the person now next to him. He does not bother to find out who the owner of long, elegant arms is. He ignores the scent of lavender. He ignores the leg that accidentally brushes against his own.

"So get this," a familiar voice says next to him, "Some prat decides to invite me to this shin dig but I can't seem to find him."

He turns his attention to her and smiles, "I invited this idiot girl here but she never showed up. I waited for three hours and she never got here."

She can't mask her emotions anymore as the indifference flees her body. She takes him into her arms and crushes him in a strong hug. "Happy new year, Sirius!"

Sirius stands, lifting Angie off her feet with her arms still around his neck. He laces his arms around her as he twirls her about. "Happy new year, Angie!" He smiles as she giggles in his ear. "So what, you don't write anymore?" He asks with her still hanging on him.

She dangles her feet. "I'm sorry. I just didn't know what to say anymore."

"And you don't visit?"

"I had some interesting talks with my grandmother. She told me some things that I needed to care of." Mentally, she scolded herself for lying to him.

"Of course she did…" He dropped the matter. She would tell him why when she was ready. "Come, let's go greet everyone."

Her heart sank a bit. He had not commented on her attire yet.

As if he had read her mind, he turned around and looked her up and down and says, "Turn around for me?" She obliges him as she slowly turns on spot. He notices that the dress positively clings to her frame and yet there is no sign of underwear seams. He pushes the thought from his mind before he says, "You look absolutely gorgeous, Angie."

"I look like a girl, right?" Angie smiled.

"You look like a woman. A very beautiful one."

"Wow, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're flirting with me."

'So what if I am?' Sirius thinks as he pulls her through the crowd. One by one, Sirius introduces her to the members of society. Without fail, everyone comments that they make 'a lovely couple'. Of course, this only leads to denial and blushes.

"Let's take a break from everyone and just dance." Sirius suggests.

"Lead the way, Sir Sirius." She jokes, using his childhood name, an affirmation that they are still just friends.

Sirius smiles, leads her to the dance floor, twirls her around to face him and says, "My lady."

They dance to the songs, not particularly gracefully but alluding to it as they dance in tune with one another. The couples around them take stock of them, inwardly acknowledging that "it's about time", unaware that they are sorely mistaken. They watch for a moment as Sirius and Angie revolve on spot to the song before turning back to their partners.

A faster song comes on and Sirius twirls Angie so that her back faces him. They move together, one entity, no space between them. She feels every part of him: his chest against her back, his hands on her waist, his breath on her neck, his waist moving them in tune with the beat… What she believes to be the zipper of his pants pressing into her bum.

Sirius does not know what to do. The song is demanding, calling for proximity and touching. He can feel his body betraying his will for control, for secrecy. He prays for a miracle, that she doesn't feel it, that she doesn't notice how much she gets to him, how much he wants her. He prays that the desirable images in his mind of the two of them together go away. He is not allowed to think of her that way, and even more forbidden is doing _that_ to her. She is his best friend!

He diverts his attention from his impending embarrassment to how he can avoid it. He thinks about whether or not he can play the "warm" card, offering to go outside instead. But it's out of the option. She'll see it. Dress pants only emphasize the tent it makes. Could he try to pass off his sudden departure as the sight of a long lost friend? Then everyone, including her, would see. Could he- Oh no! She had to stop doing that! He would rather be between the rock and the hard place than just at the rock. Oh Merlin! She won't stop! What is he going to do?

Angie laughs as she continues to pretty much rub her bum against his zipper. It feels good and ticklish at the same time. The strange part about it, though, was that every time she does it, it seems to press back a little more. It is really odd. Magical zippers are weird like that.

"Sirius, that spell on your pants is hilarious! It just gets harder and-" And then it dawns on her. It is interesting what a few choice words will do for realization.

Sirius wants to die. She stops talking and the look on her face shifts from complete mirth to shock. "Yeah, it's great that James has a sense of humor. I'm going to kill him later!" He does not know where the save came from but he thanks whatever divinities exist for his wit. "Jeeze, that book was a bad idea for Christmas!"

"Oh! Wow! It felt real!" Is all she can say to hide her disappointment. "Hey Sirius?"

"Yeah"

"I'm feeling a bit warm. Could we go outside for a bit?" She suggests.

"Sure." His predicament has left, thankfully, and he manages to leave the floor with her to the backyard.

It is not cold at all. In fact, it is quite refreshing. It cools his cheeks from the burning it had done inside when she started talking about his zipper. When he looks at her, he can see a different reaction. He doesn't know why but he is staring at her chest and its wonderful reaction to the cold. In fact, he can seem the goose pimples forming on her shoulders, spreading their way down her chest, under the fabric of her dress, peeking at her nipples and the rest is for his imagination to fill in.

He is staring at her. She does not know why. She begins to get self-conscious and fidgets. She looks at him, attempting to trace his line of vision. And when she looks down, the sight of her nipples coming to life in the cold horrifies her.

She brings her arms up, hands to the opposite shoulder, elbows covering each mammary. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," she says, snapping him from his reverie.

He curses her arms for obstructing such a wonderful sight. He takes off his jacket and drapes it over her shoulders. "Here, wear this. It should keep you warmer."

She looks up at his face, suddenly aware of her height in relation to his. There is not as much of a height gap between their faces anymore. She tips her head up and kisses him on the cheek. "Thank you, kind gentleman."

They take a small stroll, admiring the spread of stars above their heads. They talk about their break so far and all that they have done to date. They have missed each other lately. It is as clear as the night sky as they talk about their exploits.

"He called you that? That's horrible!" Sirius says as Angie finishes telling him about her fall earlier. "Remind me to set him straight the next time I see him!"

Angie smiles at his enthusiasm. "You better be careful there or someone might think you've got certain feelings for little ol' me."

"I think we missed the countdown." Sirius changes the subject, "This is the first time I didn't get to kiss anyone for the new year. This can't lead to good things."

"Really now?" Angie asks half skeptically, half intrigued. "Who did you kiss at three?"

"Oh, you know what I mean!" He says to her. Slowly, he turns to her, takes her in for the second time. Her cheeks are red, some of her hair is sticking to the base of her neck, his jacket around her shoulders, dress clinging to her every curve, elegant legs covered by the skirt, toes poking out from under the hem… She is a goddess.

He leans closer, her mouth opens, slightly confused, secretly hoping that he will do what her mind is imagining. His face inches nearer and she stares at him. They are so close that she can feel him breathing on her. She wants to close the gap between them, throw all caution to the wind. Fuck however many years of friendship. She wants him. Needs him.

She is staring at his face so hard that she does not notice his right hand come up to her neck pause and then pull back.

"You had a piece of lint in your hair. It's gone now." He says as he pulls away from her.

He does not know why he said that, why he chickened out, why he had not listened to his impulse instead. He watches her blink, take in what just happened and then react. He does not notice her temporary look of disappointment.

'What was that?' is all she manages to think. She had come within millimeters of his face only to have it pulled pack in favor of something that was not there to begin with. "Let's go back inside then. I feel like dancing some more."

Sirius smiles, relief etched in every facial feature; not that she notices it though. He leads her to the entrance where she gives him back his jacket. It smells of lavender. How her sent is embedded in his jacket in such a short period of time baffles him but he does not curse it. He almost wants to take it off so that it does not fade, so it forever smells of her. Almost.

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

There are boys and girls sitting at the walls, talking amongst one another. Occasionally, someone else would come by, make the social rounds. Other times, one of the boys would gather whatever courage they have and ask one of the girls for a dance. Envy laced the walls.

Quietly, they enter the ballroom where the music continues to play and couples dance. They find a spot among the dancing couples. As if on cue, the music changes. The pop tune dissolves only to be replaced with a sappy slow song. She smiles at him and places a hand on his waist and the other on his shoulder. He places both hands on her waist and resists another urge to throw the friendship inhibition out the window and kiss her senseless.

He wants her to be his for eternity. As he thinks about it, he comes to the realization that eternity really is not long enough. His mind even argues that if he were to remain her best friend, he would be with her… But not the kind of with his groin wants. His groin? Since when did his groin have a say in the matter? He casts his thoughts aside and resumes reveling in the feeling of her close to him, of her head resting against his chest, her hands on his shoulder and waist, of her rhythmic breathing…

She had fallen asleep.

He sighs and looks down at her sleeping face. She looks so peaceful. Waking her up would be treasonous. He looks around him, hoping to find James. As if by divine intervention, he and Lily are dancing next to them. He manages to catch the boy's attention, a look passed between them in understanding: Sirius is taking her home.

He scoops her up into his arms, makes his way across the room and up the stairs. He makes his way into a room and picks up a handful of floo powder before declaring for her address and disappearing in a swirl of green flames.

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

Three o'clock in the morning rarely saw visitors in the Benson household. In fact, its occupants had already retreated for rest and happiness that sleep could offer them. As such, no one bares witness to the flames of the fire turning green before a man, holding a girl, steps through the grate and into the house. No one witnesses the ashes being magically removed from the carpet before the man makes his way to the stairs.

Despite however many time Sirius had ever been to Angie's house, he had never grown accustomed to the shadows dancing from the light of the fire or the stoic appearance of all the items of furniture. He sighs with relief as he comes to the stairs. There are no pictures to accuse him of anything inappropriate as he makes his way up the stairs with a sleeping girl in his arms.

He enters her room and closes the door behind him with his foot. He deftly places her sleeping frame and moves to take off her shoes. He only manages to take off one shoe before she stirs from her sleep.

"Sirius?" She murmurs sleepily.

"Yes, Angie?"

"Where are we?"

He smiles at her. She is always cute when she wakes up. "We're in your room."

"Oh." He takes off her other shoe. "Sirius?"

"Yes?" He is almost at the door.

"Could you stay the night with me? I don't want to be alone."

She is not making this easy for him. Silently, he prays that he will not have any difficulty in his trousers if he stays. "Sure." He is an idiot for obliging her.

She smiles at him and he turns around. She stands at takes off the dress. It magically hangs itself up. She moves toward him and turns him around.

He freezes as he catches sight of her. She smirks at him and just helps him take off his shirt. Yanking the buttons open and casting the shirt aside, she pushes him to the bed. She kneels down and removes his shoes and socks before casting them aside. He cannot move. The sight of her mesmerizes him. She expertly undoes the button and zipper of his trousers. Whether he was wearing boxers or not does not matter anymore since the moment his trousers came off, he was left naked as he was the day he was born.

He panics. She can see his body reacting to hers. Whether or not she notices, he does not know since she pushes him into position before crawling into the bed next to him and curling up beside him. He hopes she does not notice his 'miniature marauder' coming to life. Of course it is not his fault though.

He suddenly realizes why there were no underwear lines on her butt earlier: there were no underwear to begin with.


	10. Just Like Heaven

**Chapter 10: Just Like Heaven**

Most fathers have a common nightmare regarding their daughters. Most of them do not involve death, alcohol or drugs. The common fear is the compromise of their daughter's virtue. Waking up one morning to the sounds of sex coming from their darling baby girl's room is just as bad as eating Brussels sprouts for dinner. Even worse is finding her and her lover asleep in bed together, their clothes strewn about the room.

This is Mr. Benson's fate.

Richard Benson wakes up happily as his wife's arms hold him close to her. After nearly twenty years of marriage, the love and passion they still had for each other had not died and he intends to keep it that way. He hugs her and kisses her forehead before murmuring his immediate return after his return from his morning routine.

Richard enters the bathroom attached to his room and sets about his 'affairs' before continuing his routine. Quietly, he brushes his teeth before he turns on the shower. He waits for the water to warm up before he slips in and runs his face under the water. Eyes shut, the sound of running water filling his ears, he does not her the shower door open or close. The only indication he receives of another person's presence is the feeling of arms wrapping around his waist before a body presses up to his back.

Richard Benson was quite correct to wake up as happily as he did. It is not everyday that his wife treats him to a 'birthday surprise'.

About an hour later, Richard and Phoebe exit the bathroom, as giddy as they had been as teenagers. Richard gently drops Phoebe onto the bed as he nuzzles her neck, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. He is halfway through kissing her neck to her breasts before scratching from the window can be heard. His mirth deflates him temporarily before he turns and opens the window for the bird to enter.

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

No one really knows the names of the post owls. In fact, they are the under glorified messengers of the magical world. Today, Ringo the post owl senses he will see something he does not want to see. Today, he dreads the news he is about to carry. Today, he can sense the attack about to happen.

Today, Ringo interrupts the passion of two healers to bare bad news to them.

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

Richard Benson stands in front of the window, baring all of his glory to the people who look into his window… Therefore, no one. Knowing fully well that the bird will not actually judge him, he swears the bird averts his eyes, waiting almost impatiently for the letter to be taken from his leg so he can leave the nude couple to go back to their business. It is now that Richard believes that the bird is _blushing_ with its gaze somewhere where it ought not be… His wife!

Richard unties the letter from the owl and the bird hastily makes its exit, glad to be leaving the married couple's bedroom. "Pervy owl," Richard mumbles under his breath as he quickly scans the contents of the letter. His demeanor changes the moment certain words are picked up. "Get dressed, Love, there's work to be done." He says as he passes her the letter.

Phoebe Benson scans the letters, gasps in horror and quickly gets dressed. She and her husband dress hastily and leave the room together, knowing that their son is still fast asleep and believing that their daughter has stayed over at the Potters. Phoebe quickly writes a note for Cetus and leaves it on his bedside before she joins her husband in front of the fireplace. Together, they make their way to St. Mungo's.

Richard Benson's fate is to be spared of his worse nightmare.

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

An hour after his parents' departure, Cetus Benson reads the note. However, something doesn't quite add up. He swore he heard groaning and murmuring late at night from his sister's room. Cetus is a smart boy. He knows he will get his answer by checking his dear sister's room. As if he needs proof, Cetus grab his Polaroid Camera and makes his way there. The sight before him is not one that he was expecting to find.

Cetus Benson hardly expects to see his sister naked, asleep in the arms of her best friend. He does not expect to hear her murmuring sweet nothings to someone not present in the room nor hear her best friend groan in a fashion that suggests obvious sexual tension. He does not expect them to be asleep and so at ease like that.

Quietly, Cetus snaps a photo, and then another. The quiet murmuring and buzzing of the Polaroid Camera may have caught his sister's attention as she inhales sharply and then shifts slightly. He stands rooted at the door, not daring to make a sound lest she wake up. The last thing he wants is for her to wake up and witness his evil plan in full swing.

He sighs with relief as she resets herself into position against the boy's chest. He mentally snickers as the boy moves his arm to hold her more closely to him, a limb of life. He takes another photo prays that neither of them notices the sounds of the camera.

Almost as though life is playing a cruel joke on him, the cover falls a slight bit to reveal his sister's chest to him. He bites back a scream as he takes a final picture, waits for it to develop and writes a note on the white edge before bolting out of the room. His sister's boob was the last second last thing he ever wanted to see.

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

The ten o'clock sun manages to bombard Angie's eye lids. In response, Angie shuts her eyes more tightly, willing the sun to go away, willing the hunky guy in her dreams to stay. She fears that if she wakes up, she will find that the dream was just a dream, that she will be alone.

Fighting a hopeless battle, Angie stirs from her slumber. Something odd strikes her about the hard surface her back is against. It is not flat. It is warm, fleshy, muscular. Careful not to wake him, Angie opens her eyes, observes the arm around her waist and the other one across her chest. She observes the birthmarks on the skin. She knows that pattern.

Sirius.

She closes her eyes, feints sleep and opens them again, hoping for someone other than Sirius to be in bed with her. No such luck. That same pattern graces her vision. Shit. She closes her eyes again and slowly turns to face him.

"It's ok. I'm awake."

She opens her eyes to see him staring at her. This cannot be happening to her.

"You know, if you think about it, this could be worse."

How many times had he been hit on the head? "How so?" she asks.

"Well, you've already seen me naked and I've already seen you topless." She stares at him blankly. "If you think about it, I could be some creepy stranger who took advantage of you after you striped down to your birthday suit and ripped off all of my clothes."

Panic sets in, "I ripped off your clothes?! We're naked under the blanket?!" She pauses for a moment. The inevitable question comes out, "Did we have sex?"

He tries not to laugh at her. Her reaction is so cute. He suppresses the laughter but a smile comes out. She is lying on top of him, legs straddling his waist, arms on his chest, blocking his view of her boobs. Her hair is messy yet elegant as it remains behind her, curls disheveled and a few stray ones frame her face. Her face stares at him, blue eyes boring into his grey ones. Her mouth is open slightly, lower lip in a pout, completely kissable.

He can feel himself reacting to her but he knows she wont feel it. She's too high up. God, he can't react to her. Not now. Last night was fine. She was in a daze, half asleep. He could tell her that it was all just her imagination. But right now? Reality has finally set in on her. Reality would let her know what he could never tell her. He hopes she does not remember how he had almost kissed her. "No, we didn't."

Relief spreads across her face. If they had had sex, she would have liked to remember it. He sees the relief on her face and thinks the worst of it. Sleeping with him was to be avoided like plague, apparently. Sex with him must be one of the worst things that could happen to someone. At least, that was what her expression seemed to tell him. He decides right then and there that he can never tell her how he feels.

"Good. That would've made things awkward."

"Like they already aren't?" He asks underneath her. He wants to take his hand off her back and just kiss her, taste her, belong to her.

"What do you-" She stops as the realization comes to her. "Oh right. Um, close your eyes. I'm getting up." She doesn't want to but to stay on top of him naked all day would lead to certain assumptions on either of their behalves.

"Sure." He says with a small smile. He hides the pain that his thoughts supply him. Inside, the thoughts tear him up with each neurological impulse slowly electrocuting his frontal lobe. He wants to curl up, wallow in his misfortune. He suddenly finds himself glad that he had not kissed her last night, that she had bought his feeble cover up for the tent in his pants. He wishes they were never best friends to begin with. Maybe then he would have had a chance with her. He closes his eyes.

Angie rises from the bed, hoping that he'll try to sneak a peek at her. Maybe then she would have some sort of indicator of his feelings toward her. To her odd dismay, he obeys her. She goes to her dresser and pulls out a red satin underwear set. She does not see him staring at her get dressed.

He watches her walk to the dresser across the room from her bed. He admires slight giggle of flesh resetting with each step. She has a cute bum. She has a- oh, fuck it. Everything about her is cute, sexy, perfect. He wants her to be his, he wants her forever. Of course, we can never have what we want. How did the song go? 'If you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need.' He thinks about that as he watches her bend over to put on her panties and then her bra. He closes his eyes as she moves over to her closet to pull out some clothes. Does he need Angie? Should he even be asking himself this question? The answer is simple: of course he does. Why would anyone think otherwise?

Angie walks back to her dresser and pulls out a pair of socks. She turns around to put them on and finds Sirius watching her. 'Shit!' he thinks, 'I'm so dead now!' Angie does not know what to think of him watching her now. "I thought I told you to keep your eyes closed…" She says.

Sirius blushes slightly, "Can you blame me for not listening?" He asks in the most charming way he can muster. "Besides, I only caught a sight of your naked feet. Oh so _scandalous_!" He lies and mocks.

Angie smiles, "I'll be in the bathroom if you need me." And just like that, everything that could have been awkward is gone.

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

Angie bounds down the stairs happily, enters the kitchen in a good mood. She sets her path for the stove and only then notices her best friend standing in front of a frying pan, making pancakes in a tuxedo. 'If his name were Jeeves, he'd totally be my butler,' She thinks to herself.

He doesn't notice her staring at his back. Even while making pancakes he is too lost in thought to notice the world around him. He thinks about last night, about how perfect she looked in that dress he had bought her, about how perfect she is, how she still manages to surprise him. 'No,' he thinks, 'I can't think about her like that. She's my best friend and she'd totally have my balls if she knew I memorized every detail about her most private areas. Oh god!' He can feel his member come to life at the thought of her. This cannot be anything but bad. Very bad.

"Whatcha making?" She asks from the doorframe. The swinging door slowly comes to halt, setting itself in place.

He turns his head to her, careful not to display his current situation. "Pancakes for the pretty girl who came to the ball with me." He is understating what he truly thought of her last night. She was definitely more than just pretty.

She arcs a graceful eyebrow, "Pretty, eh? You really thought so?"

"Definitely." He answers, hoping that she buys it, "Now, if you'll excuse me. I don't want the 'cakes to burn." He resumes his attention on the pancakes, carefully flipping them. 'Think about the most disgusting things possible. Snape. Good. Now keep going. Snape on a date. Ew. I wonder who would ever be his date. I bet it'd be that Bertha. Not Jorkins. No, that one in Slytherine. The big one.' He snickers at the thought of them, glad that his problem went away.

He flips the last two pancakes, allows them to brown slightly. 'Perfect' he thinks. "Breakfast is served."

"Sweet! Pancakes!" Sirius freezes. The voice definitely did not belong to Angie.

"Cetus?! I didn't know you were home." Angie says, clearly unable to think anything coherent about the current situation.

"Yeah. Mom and dad left early this morning. Mom wrote me a note, clearly not knowing you were home." Angie breaths a subtle sigh of relief. That last thing she needs is her parents finding her and Sirius in bed together, naked. "They got an owl. Apparently work called them in today. Something about an attack on Diagon Alley."

"Oh no!" Angie reacts first. Sirius does not know what to think.

"It'll be fine Angie. I bet no one got killed or anything. Don't worry about it." He says as he sets the pancakes on the table and goes to give her a hug.

"I just hope Lily didn't wake up early enough to try going back home though. I don't know what I'd do without her." Angie murmurs into his chest.

Cetus gags. "You two should stop beating around the bush already and just come out with it. Otherwise you're going to make me sick!"

Sirius responds by throwing the nearest dish towel in his face. "Let's eat breakfast and then head over to James' place. I can't stay in a tux all day and I'm certainly not leaving the both of you alone here."

_**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**_

"James, you here?" Sirius calls out as he exits the fireplace. The silent room is lit green as the flames dance in the fireplace. He shudders. Floo powder always reminds him of the Slytherin house he had narrowly escaped. Convincing the damn hat wasn't easy at all. He had wanted to stay with his best friend and the ones he just made on the train. Now, it seems his punishment is to face the eerie flames every time he uses the fireplace.

Angie steps out of the fireplace, dusting the soot from her clothes. "Where is everyone?" She does not get an answer before Cetus steps out of the fireplace and nudges her out of the way.

"Move it, scum-sucking bottom-feeder." Cetus says mockingly, "I haven't mastered walking through walls yet."

"My, my, aren't we impatient?" Angie teases him, "Aren't we a nasty sea monster when we haven't eaten half our bodyweight in sugar yet?"

Cetus grumbles and leaves it at that. In all of his twelve years of existence, he had yet to beat Angie in a teasing contest. Sure, he could think of better insults to get to her but those would land him in the middle of the Gobi Desert without water and food. He doubts she would even try to find him after that.

"If I know Jimmy, he's probably being thrown out of the guest room where Lily stayed last night." Sirius says, mocking the predictability of his male best friend.

As the trio exits the entrance room, they look down the hall just in time to see James run out of the room, narrowly avoiding a pillow thrown after him. They laugh quietly as James looks back at the door, the look of a kicked puppy on his face.

He does not understand what had just happened. Last night, she had put up with him for more than she had ever, ignoring his faults. This morning, he so much as tries to bring her breakfast and she kicks him out of the room faster than any average person can say "get out" and hurls inanimate objects after him.

"What'd you say this time, Jimmy?" Sirius asks, laughing jovially as the three of them approach the downtrodden boy.

"Nothing bad!" James answers. Angie quirks an eyebrow at him, clearly skeptical of this. "Well, I thought she was still asleep so I made her breakfast and brought it to her. Only, I didn't knock because, well, like I said, I thought she was asleep."

"She was getting changed, wasn't she?" Angie supplies.

"Yeah. I guess she just got out of bed because she wasn't wearing anything other than her knickers." Angie looks at him, eyebrows raised. This cannot mean anything good for the love struck teenager. "For what it's worth, I only saw her backside." He quickly adds in.

"Oh dear." Angie says, "I better go check in on her then."

As the only girl among them walks in to console the redhead, Sirius says, "Why is it that those two girls can't seem to keep their clothes on at night?" Only to hear Cetus wretch at the comment.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

"Lily?" Angie says as she creeps into the room quietly. She closes the door behind her quickly. "Lily?"

"I TOLD YOU TO GET O-"Lily screams until she turns around and realizes who it is, "Oh, Angie! Thank god you're here! That scoundrel doesn't know how to knock!" She complains.

Angie walks towards the girl, inwardly noting her lack of dress even now. "Shh, it's okay, Lily. He's outside now. And for what it's worth, he's really sorry. He just wanted to do something nice for you." She sooths her, rubs her back.

"But still, it doesn't hide the fact that he still saw me!" she sobs.

"Lily, it's alright. Calm down. I can assure you that there are worse things out there." Angie says, inwardly avoiding thinking about that morning.

"I guess. I mean, he did make me breakfast…" She turns her attention to the tray and realizes exactly what is on there. Without knowing it, he had made her favorite breakfast: Belgian waffles and fresh fruit with English crème.

"Do you forgive him? He thought you were still asleep."

Lily sighs, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Good. You get dressed and meet us downstairs."

As Angie turns to the door, she sees it quietly and slowly close itself. Knowing fully well what just happened, she opens the door forcefully and smacks both Sirius and James upside their heads. "Have you any idea how upset she was? And you go do that? You are such…" Angie stops for a minute as she searches for the proper word, "Autoeroticists!"

She turns on her heels and marches down the stairs, headed to the living room to make a fire call. She knows of only one person who could possibly refine the two boys. She can hear Cetus snicker behind her as he follows her, obviously aware that he is looking for any opportunity to cause trouble. Angie makes her way to the fireplace, throws in some floo powder and shouts the a name before placing her head in the fireplace. A few moments later, Angie's head emerges from the flames and the fireplace returns to its normal soft orange glow.

Angie hears the sound of hurried footsteps making their way down the stairs before a final thump is heard- they jumped the last five or so steps. Sirius and James enter the living room in time to see Remus exit the fireplace. They blink in unison together and simultaneously declare, "SNOWBALL FIGHT!" In a whirlwind of magic, coats, boots, mittens, scarves and hats whiz through the air and place themselves on the teenagers.

Cetus smirks at the prospect of the possibility of nailing his sister with a snowball as his 'armor' clothes him. Sirius and James plan who's on each team while Angie and Remus share worried looks: this was not what they had planned for today. Upstairs, a girl's shriek rings stops the all the activity downstairs. As luck would have it, Lily did not take too kindly at the idea of boots chasing her around the room and force themselves on her feet. The occupants of the living room freeze and wait for the redhead to enter the room.

A minute following the shriek, Lily walks into the room, clothed in winter apparel, clearly displeased. The scowl on her face put Mrs. Black to shame and the look of pure loathing she focuses on James is enough to dissolve any amount of egotism the boy has faster than one's stomach acid dissolves a strip of magnesium. Whatever confidence James had in Angie's talk with Lily leaves nothing but hydrogen gas in its wake, his iron will a figment of the imagination.

"POTTER! WHAT GIVES?!" Lily shouts. Everyone jumps a little while James ducks behind Sirius.

"Sirius. It was all Sirius' idea!" James stammers as he peaks his head above his best friend's shoulder.

"Black?!"

"Oh come on, Lily! There's snow outside and it's begging to be lobed at someone." Sirius offers. "If you want, come out with us and lob it at James. That'll surely cure whatever anger you have towards the boy."

Lily considers this for a moment, tilting her head from side to side as she weighs the pros and cons. Finally, after a minute of careful consideration (a minute under water for James), Lily dons a malicious grin and says, "Well then, what are we waiting for?" and turns in the general direction of the back door, leaving a stunned group in her wake.

James lets out the breath he was holding as Sirius says to him, "You owe me one… And I know what it'll be."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

What began as a free-for-all soon turned into a battle of wit and strategy. After being hit one too many times in the face, Sirius and Angie allied themselves against the others. Back to back, the pair lobed spheroid packets of snow at their friends. Lily and Remus allied themselves, deciding that they needed to hit the others as many as possible and their tally would lead to better results. Cetus, not trusting his sister and her best friend after what he had seen that morning, decided to take Lily and Remus' side. It was the only one that offered the prospect of hitting them without double teaming his comrades. James took Angie and Sirius' side for the sake of equality and the least probability of being hit by a fellow teammate, namely Lily.

Snow forts were conjured and James found himself behind a separate barrier of snow from that of Sirius and Angie. He was cross at first but soon decided he would rather not be a third wheel and grew accustomed to the idea.

A half hour later, as he snow balls continued to be hurled across the backyard, a stray snowball from behind Remus' wall- they had disbanded into three separate firing units- sailed over the protective wall that was Angie and Sirius' fortress. The deformed sphere landed on Sirius' face and exploded upon impact. "I'm hit!" declared to Angie as he fell backward into the snow.

Angie laughs at his antics and kneels to help him to wipe his face. She cannot help but notice just how cute he can be when he acts as silly as he is at the present. She leans down, pulling out the end of her scarf from her jacket to dry his face and pauses as she notice the look that spreads over his features.

Sirius swears that he has did from that snowball and has entered Heaven. The angel with her hair falling forward from underneath her hat, stray ringlets that frame her face, is bathed in the sunlight of New Year's Day and she is leaning over him, all of her attention given to him. He feels no pain where the wretched snow smacked his face; he feels ecstatic at the sight before him.

He knows that what he is about to do next is against the rules: a lowly human like himself is not allowed to touch angels. Despite this he finds his hand opening, reaching up for her face, crossing the infinite distance to her cheek that looks so soft. He is in a trace: the light that surrounds her from above gives her an ethereal glow and he is tempted to say that kissing her right now does not count because no sane man could ever dismiss an opportunity to kiss a divine being. His hand finally reaches her cheek and he gently pulls her down to him, inwardly reveling in how cold yet soft it is. He lifts his face to hers slowly. Millimeter by millimeter, they close the gap.

Neither of them notices the snowball flying overhead that connects with Angie's left temple. Neither of them sees Cetus smirking at his own handy work. A brother's nightmare is to witness his sister kiss a boy.


	11. What Is And Never Should Be

Chapter 11: What Is And Never Should Be

There comes a time in every student's life. It comes at least twice a year. It is a time of great confusion as the student cannot decide whether he or she would rather the vacation continue or go back to school. The issue of free time on the student's hands arises and the student no longer has any idea of how to fill that time. The usual suspects that a student may use to fill their time become tiresome, boring and predictable. There usually are no exceptions.

Angie Benson managed to successfully stay clear of Sirius for the remainder of the break and even the train ride back to school. Avoiding him at dinner was no easy task as well but she had managed to all the same. She ate her dinner with Lily and Cetus, deciding that if he really needed to talk to her, he would approach her and even follow her as she tried to leave. He made no such attempt.

After dinner was over, Angie and Lily make their way upstairs to their dorm for "quality bonding time". They pull out Angie's magical record player and begin to play a Beatles' album. They settle onto Angie's bed, laying on their sides, facing each other.

"So, what happened at the New Year's party between you and James?" Angie asks first. If she can occupy Lily with her own recount, Lily may forget about her experiences.

"Well, if you must know, James danced with me all night. I tried to lose him at one point in the bathroom. I faked powdering my nose for half an hour only to find him outside the door patiently. But he was sweet about it, I guess. He asked me if I'd eaten anything bad before I got there."

"That was quite sweet of him."

"So he stayed with me all night. We danced together and when the clock struck, he didn't kiss me on the lips. He kissed my cheek. That was okay, right?" She stops for a minute and, regardless of whether Angie answers, she continues anyway. "So ran into Erin and boyfriend… What's his name again?"

Boyfriend. Why was Angie jealous of the blonde again? No, she is not anymore. She sighs, glad that Erin would never cheat on, "Jeff." Angie supplies.

"Oh right! Jeff! The Hufflepuff. He's a sweet guy. Always ready to go get her something or the likes. Yeah. Anyway, they left around three and I decided to floo home but, of course, whatever I was saying at that point wasn't coherent. So that's how I ended up staying at the mansion. And you know the rest from there. I went home on New Year's day and mother didn't have a fit. As it turns out, she was more mad that Petunia hooked up with that tub lard… Vernon. Suits him. If you asked me, he looks like overgrown vermin."

Lily stopped, fondly remembering that her sister's ugly boyfriend saved her hide. "So, what happened to you?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"… So, we come in through the left side to avoid the radioactive goo. Got that, Sirius?" James asks. The Marauders are all assembled on James' bed, discussing their welcome back prank. If James had anything to say about their prank output, it would be that it was on the dismal side at the moment. But no worries, of course, since there was still half the school year to make up for it. He looks over at his best friend to see him staring off into space. "Okay, Sirius, spill."

Sirius is caught up in a memory: the one of how he had almost kissed Angie twice in less than twenty-four hours. He is pulled out of it, however, by a sharp jab in the ribs from Remus. "Wha?"

"Sirius, what's on your mind? I mean, we can't have whatever it is screw up our prank." James says. Of course his questions are about the prank. That is what they're always about.

"Oh, uh…" Sirius thinks about saying the typical 'nothing' but thinks better of it. "Angie."

James mentally smacks himself. Of course it's about Angie! It's **always** about Angie. "Alright. So, what about Angie?"

"Look, you have to promise not to tell anyone." Sirius states, looking up to see three nodding heads. He inhales sharply. "Alright. Look, you know how New Year's Eve went great for the both of us, Jimmy?"

James nods, a smile on his face. He had kissed Lily on the cheek without getting castrated.

"Well, Angie came down the stairs and I introduced her to people… You know, like the Crusoes and the O'Neals. Anyway, after that, we started dancing and…" Sirius stopped and tried to push the blush away. "James, if Angie ever asks, you charmed my zipped that night to act like a stiffy." Sirius looks up at James to see the boy on the verge of hysterical laughter.

"She gave you a STIFFY?!" He shouts before rolling over, laughing hard.

Sirius rolls his eyes and sees that Remus and Peter have done the same. He sinks his head back into his hands and prays for the mattress to swallow him whole. He cannot bear the humiliation. He waits for the laughter to die down before he says, "James, you owe me one, remember?"

James nods and smiles to himself. This just got better.

"Anyway, so we went outside." Sirius continues, not patient enough to wait for the other two to stop laughing. "We walked around the backyard. We talked and I even lost track of the time. Of course, I had to ruin it and bring up the midnight kiss thing."

"Did you kiss her?" Peter asks. He wants his friend to be happy, to stop crying his heart out over his best friend. He may not be the authority on the matter but it was just pathetic.

"I almost did. I was about to, she didn't look like she was going to pull away or think it awkward…. But I had to be the chicken and pull away."

Peter sinks back into the bed. This is pathetic.

"So we went back in and we continued to dance… But she fell asleep as we were slow dancing. So I took her home. Her parents weren't awake and I guess that's a good thing. I brought her up to her room and I was going to take off her shoes and then tuck her but she woke up as I was taking off the second shoe and told me to stay the night."

James perked up. Things were getting better in this story.

"So I obliged her. I turned around to give her privacy as she took off her dress. No sooner than I had taken my shirt off had she spun me around, pushed me onto her bed and taken off both of my shoes, socks and pulled off what remaining clothes I had on. She shoved me against the wall and curled up next to me."

The three boys listen to him eagerly as he gets to the good part. Peter pipes up again, questioning not so subtly, "Did you have sex with her?"

Sirius gives him a dark look and says, "I have more class than that, Pete. Of course I didn't. She wasn't in her right state of mind. But, god, she felt so good, lying there against me, naked and in my arms."

Remus nods, almost as if to say he knows how Sirius feels. Sirius takes a mental note to goad it out of him later.

"So the next morning, when I wake up, she's still asleep. And god, she looks so peaceful, angelic- yes, like her name- and happy. I can't bare to wake her up. So I let her sleep. When she wakes up, she freaks out. And when she asks if we had sex, and I say no, she looks so relieved. I mean, is sleeping with me that repulsive an idea?"

"Sirius, I think you've missed a bigger point: if she doesn't have sex with you, she won't have to worry about potentially being pregnant. Or maybe she'd like to remember it if she did." Remus says, a more logical approach to it.

"Well, I hope you're right then. Anyway, later that day, when we had that snowball fight, I almost kissed her again. That's why she left so soon." Sirius flops back on the bed and smacks his forehead. "God, I could kill myself for that! And now she's avoiding me."

"Sirius, I'm going to offer to you advice that has never worked for me: just go talk to her." James says. "Now, back to the prank. You and I come up from the left and…"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Angie, you can't go on for the rest of your life not talking to him. Just think about how miserable you'll be." Lily reasons with her. "You know it's impossible for you to avoid him. Besides, how are you supposed to hook up with him if you don't talk to him? And you've always been able to talk to him before… Even when you almost kissed last year."

"Yeah, but he didn't see me entirely naked that time." Angie counters, too stubborn to admit that Lily's right.

Lily sighs, "You're right about that, but he will find a way to make you talk to him."

Lily and Angie continue to talk, playing record after record, not noticing the girls in their beds tossing and turning, unable to sleep as the record player continue to play the records. It is midnight when the girls are finally brought to the attention of the insomnia of their roommates.

"Angie, Lily," Marissa Pierce starts, "It's nice to hear the both of you talking like the giddy school girls that you are but that infernal racket that you two call music is not. There's an empty room at the top of the stairs. I'm sure you'll love it there."

Angie and Lily stare at each other for a moment before simultaneously saying, "Nah, s'ok."

Marissa seeths at them for a moment, looks at the disgruntled girls behind her and says, "It wasn't an offer. We're kicking you out! Now, leave!" Marissa's wand is out and suddenly, Lily and Angie find themselves in the top room, their things with them.

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about the insomniacs." Angie says as she flops into the bed and bids Lily a good night.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The first day of class is always a blow to the reticular activation system. The function switch is still on 'Holiday' and as such, a coherent response at eight thirty in the morning is simply too much to ask of the student body. Most of the students have their heads propped onto their arms, hunched over the table as they watch soggy oatmeal fall off their spoons.

This is not the state of Sirius Black nor that Angelica Benson. The former found himself looking for the perfect opportunity to talk to the latter while the latter tried to make sure no such thing would happen. Of course one of them must lose.

Sirius Black makes sure that his prey is not watching him as he deftly slips out of his seat. He is silently making his way toward his prey, tunnel vision leading his focus to her. He does not see the girl that is not only about to scare the wits out of him, but hit on him for the nth time this year.

"Hi Sirius!" Marissa Pierce's shrill voice greets him.

Like a scared rabbit, he jumps three feet into the air before regaining his cool. "Hi Marissa. Sorry, but I can't talk right now." He attempts to move past her, only for her to step in front of him again.

"Listen, I was thinking, since you're good looking and I'm good looking, that we should go out together sometime."

He stops and replays what she has just said in his mind. The gall that girl has astonishes him. He blinks a couple times to make sure that he had not imagined it. "Um, that's a lovely observation you've made there but I don't think it applies. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to go talk to someone." He looks back to where Angie used to be sitting. Used to be sitting?! 'Shit!' He mentally berated himself for missing his opportunity.

He turns around and Remus is already extending his arm to him, map in hand. He silently takes it, whispers the activation phrase and seeks her out. She is descending the stairs to their class: potions. He deactivates it, wedges it into his pocket and jogs after her.

He makes his way down corridors and stairs before he can finally spot her. "Angie!" he calls as he jogs. "Angie! Hey, Angie! Wait up!"

She can hear his footsteps behind her, she can hear him panting as he nears her. She stops. She has lost.

"Hey. Can I talk to you? Privately?" He has a hold of her arm. There is no use resisting now: it would be futile. She nods and he steers her into an empty classroom.

"So, what is it that we need to talk about?" She asks him, playing the oblivious card is the best way to try avoiding touchy subjects. He'll have none of that.

"Look, about New Year's Day, I'm sorry."

Why is he apologizing? Is the idea of kissing her that bad? "No sweat. We'll write it off as a lapse in judgment since you were clobbered in the head with a snowball first, k?"

She fakes her cheerfulness. She wanted him to kiss her. She wanted him to press his lips against her in the snow, to tell her that she's the only- no. That is not what she wants at all. She wants to keep him as long as possible. Chancing twelve years of friendship on a silly crush is not what she wants at all. What would she do if she lost him?

He listens to her, watches her. Why is she so quick to dismiss it if she was so keen to avoid him at first? Maybe she knows he likes her but does not feel the same way about him? 'Oh fuck!' he thinks. On the surface, he gives her a smile and says, "Thanks. So, what'd you do for the rest of the break?"

And just like that, both are capable of faking their emotions, of lying about what they feel. They will do it as long as everything remains the same, as long as everything is okay.

_There are many times in a person's life that can have an impact on their future. There are many times in person's life that can lead to very awkward situations. There are times when we cannot help but feel truly special, truly needed, and truly unique. It is the summer of 1976, an annual trip to the godmother's for Angie, a free trip to Montreal for Sirius._

_Being sixteen and in the suburbs, the area of Baie D'Urfe left nothing particularly interesting to do. Down the main road is a CEGEP, a Quebecois version of a college, crawling with students living in residence and in the town of Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. There are usually parties being held in apartments and dorms, hosted by people the pair did not know of. _

_On a particularly hot June day, with summer school about to begin for the students in three day, Angie and Sirius find themselves in Stewart Hall, on of the residence buildings. There is a full out dorm party occurring in every room of the second floor. It is well past midnight and Angie can only hope that her godmother, Lucy, does not find out where she and Sirius are because, although Lucy is less strict than her parents, Lucy would not allow them to leave the house for the remainder of their trip if she knew. _

"_Angie, stop being such a worry wart. Live a little!" Sirius says as he walks to her she is standing. He has two shots of tequila in his hand. "Here, drink this. It'll make you feel better."_

_Angie looks at him, clearly unsure of what she ought to do at the moment. Seeing his look of encouragement, she takes a glass, closes her eyes and knocks it back. The alcohol singes her throat, and the fumes enter her nose. She opens her eyes, looks at Sirius and says, "I think I'm going to need another one." _

_Sirius nods. He brings her over to the counter where the liquor is and pours her another shot. They drink it, and yet, it still has no effect. They pour another one. _

"_Sirius," Angie says after drinking her shot, "The noise is getting to me. Can we just go outside?"_

"_Sure!" Sirius says as he grabs the bottle and takes it with them. _

_They leave Stewart Hall, stumbling every so often. They cross the sprawling campus, down the cool lawn towards the main road. They check for buses and cars a split second before they cross the street and find a place on the water. Lac St. Louis flows by, the twinkling of houses across the lake scattered along the lakeside is reflected in the black water, the night sky dotted by scattered stars. _

_Angie and Sirius sit side by side on a rock, passing the tequila bottle between them, taking sips. Angie looks up at the stars, unable to comprehend what is happening to her. The sudden movement compromises her balance and she flops backward and sideways onto Sirius' shoulder. She laughs as Sirius looks at her funny. Her laughter is contagious and he finds himself laughing with her. She grabs the bottle from his hands and takes another swig. Sirius pulls the bottle from her grip and places it behind them. _

"_No more of that for a while for you, Angie." Sirius says, "You're going to feel it in the morning and I don't want you to say that I did nothing but sit by about it."_

_Angie scrunches her nose at him , "Sirius, you're silly. Now, give me that back."_

"_No."_

"_Fine." Angie slips down from the rock, her arms guiding her. Her feet touch the ground and she takes a cautionary step forward, getting used to standing again. She turns and says, "See? I'm fine!" She turns again, lets her cerebellum adjust her intoxicated balance again before she pulls the hem of her shirt over her head and slips off her shorts. _

_Sirius takes a moment to process what has just happened. Angie is no longer wearing anything more than the string bikini she had worn all day under her tee shirt and shorts. He thinks about where they are for a moment and realizes a moment too late that she was going to- she is in the lake. She is intoxicated and in the lake. He gets up after her, pulls off his tee shirt and runs in after her. The alcohol has not hit him as hard yet._

"_Angie! What do you think you're doing?! You're going drown in there!" He calls after her as he runs in the shallow, pebbly water. _

"_Sirius!" She calls him but he cannot see her. "Sirius! It's cold! Which way is the shore?"_

"_Angie, stay where you are and keep talking to me! I'll find you!"_

"_Sirius, I don't want to drown. I'm scared." Her voice is getting louder as he continues in a straight line. "Sirius, I can't see anything. Where are we?" The alcohol has begun to blur her vision. "Sirius? Sirius?!" Five feet from where he bobs in the water, he can see here bobbing there, the water current pushing her slightly down stream. He swims up to her in three strokes. She feels an arm circle her waist. "Sirius! Something's gotten me! Help!"_

"_Shh… It's okay, Angie. It's me. I've got you." He swims backwards with her, looking back every so often. He can feel her shivering against him. He stops paddling with his free arm to pull out his wand and cast a heating charm on her. "Better?"_

"_Much. Thank you Sirius." She murmurs. She can feel her eyes begin to close as the alcohol lures her down the path to sleep._

"_Hey!" He wakes her, "No falling asleep just yet." _

"_Okay, fine." She mumbles back to him. Her eyes stay open as she stares up at the sky directly above her, inching by her ever so slowly. "Sirius, where are we?"_

"_In a lake, Angie." He feels his feet hit the lake floor again and stands up. He hoists her out of the water, holding her in his arms as he walks back up to shore. He dries her with his wand and dresses her. He makes sure she is safely asleep before her dies himself and puts his shirt back on. He sees the bottle of tequila on the rock and empties its contents into the lake: there is no sense in leaving it out here in the open. It would be best to dilute it. _

_He places the empty bottle in the nearest garbage bin and comes back to scoop her up. She is heavy, dead weight in her intoxicated state. He makes sure not to tell her so. He carries her onto a bus and pays for her fare. At the back of the bus, he can see a couple old men leering at them. She is fifteen, drunk and passed out. He will make sure that nothing happens to her. He sits down and cradles her close to him. He does not know of anyone more precious to him. _

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

_Angie wakes up the next morning, unsure of where she is, how she got there and why an arm held her so close to someone. She blinks a couple times, the headache suddenly beating down on her temples. She has never felt this way before. She turns over to Sirius next to her asleep. She looks down to see that her bikini as come undone in her sleep. She quietly reties them. That could have been awkward._

**A/N: So, that's the story to date. Don't worry, there's still more to come. Someone told me that I write a very sweet Sirius… I didn't really notice that. To be truthful, Sirius is based loosely on a few of my male friends and what the books have led me to believe about his early life. I skipped over the arrogant phase of his in favor of a more mature version of him. The problem he faces with his feelings for Angie are an exaggerated version of myself and my boyfriend. Mind you, we've never woken up naked together.**

**In other news, I don't know when it will happen but I will rewrite a couple chapters, namely chapter 5 and chapter 8. It was brought to my attention that Angie being a sorceress doesn't really have much credibility in J.K.'s world. Fear not, the rest of the story will go on as previously planned.**

**Anyway, please write a nice, big review!**


	12. Entropy

**Chapter 12: Entropy**

When everything finally seems to be right in the world, something must go wrong elsewhere. If this act of balance does not occur elsewhere, expect it to occur to you sometime in the near future. Everyone knows of the principle of karma and how good karma must be counteracted by bad karma. Yin and yang.

After school has been in session for a month, Angie finds herself sitting across the table from a slightly outraged Lily. Apparently, the only thing more treasonous than being an 'insufferable prat' was being 'an insufferable prat know-it-all who can't even get the answer to a simple potions problem'. As it turns out, Lily still has not forgiven James for botching a particularly complex problem in yesterday's class.

"… I mean, think about it! How does-" Lily is cut off mid rampage by a hand tapping her shoulder. She turns around to see Christopher Smith standing there, smiling shyly at her. "Yes?"

Angie looks up from her toast, curious to see what has interrupted the girl mid-rant about her favorite subject to verbally abuse (not usually in his presence, mind you). If Angie were not so fixated by Sirius, she would daresay that this boy in front of her was absolutely sexy. The contrast between his bright blue eyes and his midnight hair caught her attention.

"I was wondering if you'd like to be my valentine." His low voice resonates in Lily's head as he holds her gaze. He watches her eyes widen as she considers his proposal. He knows he probably should not have even dared talking to Lily: Potter is going to skewer his insides and barbecue them for the ghosts that terrorized the Shrieking Shack. He is about the retract his offer when he hears her say something.

"I'd love to!" Lily gushes. It's the first time that anyone since Potter first lay his claim on her in fourth year has asked anything of the more romantic variety from her. She supposed that was when the mediwizard smacked his vocal cords open. How unfortunate: he could have been a mute for the rest of his life and she would have been spared the redundancy of having to shoot him down every time he asked her out.

"Really? Excellent." Christopher manages to vocalize as the higher function of his brain is too shocked and quite possibly afraid by that answer. Forget skewering his insides, Potter just might make a throw rug out of him and defecate on him on a daily basis. "I'll meet you at the main doors at seven then."

Angie, silent as she was, chances a look down the table toward the boys. She notices James practically prying Peter away from his breakfast, all elements of subtlety spontaneously combusting as he cranes his neck closer to them to hear the exchange. She catches Sirius' eye and gives him her best "RED ALERT" face she could possibly muster. Sirius nods, a grim expression on his face.

"Can you believe it?" Lily's squeal pries Angie away from Sirius' face, "I thought they said that bravery was a Gryffindor trait!"

"Yeah…" Angie puts in mock-willingly.

"And to think that my other option isn't only a convent in the Vatican after all!"

Angie can't help but laugh at the comment. She knew that Lily believed she would be doomed to James' constant bombardment of date proposals but she had never thought that Lily's alternative was a convent. Mind you, it would be true that at least there she would get some much deserved peace.

"Oh, this is great! And now all you need to do is go ask Sirius-"

"Holy crap, Batman! That's not happening." Angie cuts Lily off.

"Batman? What does Batman have to do with anything?"

"There is no way that Sirius and I can even fathom getting together, and least of all, **not** on Valentine's Day."

"And why is that?" Lily asks intrigued.

Angie casts a wayward glance at her watch, "Oh!... Look at the time! We have to go! There's class to be attending and teachers to suck up to!" Angie exclaims with a face that vaguely reminds Lily of sumo wrestler who's face had been flattened by an iron. By the time Lily reacts, Angie is already halfway to the doors.

"Oh, you're going to get it, Benson!" Lily yells after her, "There's still half an hour before classes start and I do **not** suck up to teachers!"

The Great Hall silences for a moment before an eruption of laughter engulfs the place. It was then that Hell almost froze over too.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

There's an eerie sort of calm that sweeps an area before a storm fully unleashes itself. It is the sort of calm that drives animals into hiding places, forces them to flee the area to save their hides. This is the same calm that leads country dwellers to board up the windows, nail down the doors and t retreat to the cellars. It is the same calm that goes unnoticed by city dwellers.

Charlotte Fletchley took notice of the lack of ghosts in the dungeons. Perhaps they were all gathering at some sort of 'dead people meeting'. She was sure that Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, would find her here in an alcove, gathering some ingredients for an 'extracurricular potion' that was supposed to be illegal. Something about cloning was viewed as unethical by the Wizengamot and it was that same thing that fascinated Charlotte. She would have thought that Peeves would have swooped down on her by now to rat her out to Slughorn, Dumbledore or the nearest authoritarian or perhaps to borrow some of the finished product and feed it to the student body since attempting to clone a ghost is futile (they can't hold food down anyway). No, there was something definitely suspicious going on.

Angie Benson runs past Charlotte's alcove at full speed, outrunning an enraged redhead. If Angie had the time to notice it, she would have smelled the a familiar, womb-like smell coming from the alcove.

Moments later, Lily Evans sprints past Charlotte and suddenly everything becomes clear to the girl. This is the storm. Deftly, Charlotte places a self-preservation charm on the cauldron before shrinking it, putting it in an old film canister and stowing it in her pocket. She'll finish it later.

Angie arrives at the end of the corridor, next to a tapestry of the tortoise, the hare and the magician. She bends over, catching her breath, panting heavily as one arm loops around her waist while another covers her mouth and pulls her behind the tapestry. A sticking charm is place over the cloth so no one else may enter. Her eyes widen with shock, though at the back her mind, something tells her that she really should have expected something like this. She knows the pair of arms, the scent of pine, soap and individual masculinity, the chest she's pressed against, the particular rhythm of breathing. She knows Sirius Black. It is as such that she finds herself relaxing against his figure.

He doesn't believe her. He could be anyone, any one of those stinking, testosterone-pumped pinheads that lust after her and she just sags against him, completely at ease. He takes his hand off her mouth and turns her around with the other. He is about to lecture her about her dignity, safety and honor and how they are of utmost importance when she catches him by surprise.

"You know, you should stop doing that. People are going to suspect that I'm a call girl or something, Sirius."

Sirius quickly suppresses the surprise from his face, proverbially stuffing it into his pocket. The issue of losing his composure is one of the only useful things he'd learned from his mother. "Yeah, yeah. Just tell me who was that boy at the table and what was with that look."

Angie smiles. It is getting harder and harder to take him by surprise but one day, one day in the future that seems to be oh so far away, she will manage to do it. And when she does, she will grin triumphantly, for the queen will be back. Reluctantly, she takes a step back. She knows she ought not be reluctant, not since she had, after all, decided that they must remain friends since the future of their friendship depends on it.

"Well," Angie starts, "that boy at the table is a direct threat to our dearly beloved's quest of the temperamental redhead. You see, Chris Smith, the boy at the table, had asked our dear Lily, mid-rant on her favorite subject to yell and curse about, to be his valentine." Angie stops for dramatic flare.

Sirius gasps in horror, "He didn't!"

"He did. It seems that our dear Lily was so impressed that he risked getting beaten up by James to ask her to be his valentine that she said yes. And further divulged that she is quite ecstatic that she won't have to enroll herself for a convent in the Vatican."

"A what in the where?" Sirius asks. He had honestly never heard of either things.

"A nunnery in the fortress of Christianity."

"Oh dear. That does make anyone with a spine seem quite impressive." Sirius rubs his chin, "Well, I don't know how James will take this but I suppose I ought to tell him before anything drastic happens." Sirius extends his arm for Angie to take, "Shall we go to class?"

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

To everyone's surprise, James had taken the news better than anyone could ever possibly hope for. That night when Sirius delivered the bad news, James just seemed to nod, not particularly caring what had happened. He did not gasp, yell, cry (though no one actually expected him to do so), throw a fit, curse the first person he saw (much to Peter's relief) or butter himself. The only thing he did do was say, "Alas, a knight has decided to brave whatever fate the dragon may bestow upon him and rescue the fair damsel from the convent."

In the week that remained before Valentines Day, Lily expected some Hufflepuff or another to run up to her and tell her that Christopher Smith had been hexed into a million pieces by James Potter and that Madame Pomfrey was doing her best to fit him back together into a real boy. But as the days passed by, no such Hufflepuff ever showed up.

To Lily's astonishment, Christopher Smith showed up at the Gryffindor table to give Lily a different flower every day. He would tell her that she was absolutely stunning that day wish her luck in the classes she had. In the classes that Lily had with him, Christopher would take a seat next to her and smile at her throughout class. It was actually quite frightening.

James would not look at her anymore. He did not wonder what Smith had that he didn't. He knew what that was: a problem with his ego. And Lily. In fact, James had managed to scare the teachers. On all accounts in class, James paid utmost attention to the teachers, even Professor Binns. In addition, he halted whatever plans for pranks he had and opted to do his homework instead.

Angie was too surprised with James to lament the lack of Valentine on her part. On some minor psychological level, Angie half expected Sirius to march up to her and ask her to be his valentine. On all other levels, Angie wished some other boy would ask her to be his for a day. No such thing happened.

Sirius was torn. He did not know whether his fellow marauder needed a mental check or a stiff drink. He did not know whether his best friend needed companionship or a relationship. In addition to that, he did not know which of the two needed him more. He did not know whether he ought to go to Angie and profess his undying love for her and his specific need for her to be his. He eventually decided against it and to dig out a bottle of Ogden's for James.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

The night of February fourteenth saw dozens of couples exit the front doors on their way to the eateries and other date locations that Hogsmead has to offer. Lily gives one last smile to Angie before disappearing into the darkness of the night, arm in arm with Christopher Smith.

Angie walks to the Great Hall for dinner. She thinks about how lucky Lily is to have a date tonight, that James did not blast him into a million pieces before she ponders her own fate. Not too long after she decides to watch Casablanca, four familiar guys sit down around her.

"Why so blue, panda bear?" a voice coos in her ear.

Angie looks at the happy face of Sirius Black. "I'm going to disregard that lapse of reason and then state the obvious: I was alone."

A pang of guilt passes through Sirius. She could have not felt the loneliness if he had just decided to pull his tail out from between his legs and ask her out. Even now, he still feels odd about asking her something like that when they had just patched up the New Year's mishap. "Fear not, fair princess: the marauders are here to save you from solitude!"

The sound of a throat clearing saves Angie from answering. The source across the table notices that all eyes are on him and then says, "Angie, I was wondering if you could put this on Lily's pillow. I bought it back in December when I first saw it and decided that I would give it to her when the time came. Now, I realize that it will never come and to hold on to it for a while more just might destroy me." James gives Angie a rectangular velvet box.

"Sure. Are you sure you don't want to wait and see what becomes of Smith?" Angie asks.

"I'm sure."

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

The night of the second last Valentines Day of his Hogwarts career was one that no one ever expected for Sirius Black. Instead of spending the night chatting up some busty blonde or making out with an equally loose girl, Sirius Black lays awake on his bed, contemplating the life he had begun with a certain girl. Memories flashed by in his mind, clouding any rational thought with the good times he had had with her.

* * *

_The clouds were white an puffy as they passed by in the light summer breeze. The azure sky contrasted the white purity brilliantly, emphasizing the resemblance of the clouds to cotton. The temperature was mid; traces of sunshine and ultraviolet rays could be felt in the slightly-above-room- temperature feel of the air. It was a fine day in the summer of 1969. _

_In a small country cottage just outside of London resided the Bensons for two weeks. Not one to leave her best friend behind, Angie Benson had made sure that Sirius would be allowed to come with them before she agreed to start packing her stuff. _

_It was today that Angie and Sirius were given toy brooms to entertain themselves with. Incapable of hovering higher than three feet above the ground or flying faster than the pair can walk, the delight of 'Snail Races: The Race For The Vegetables' did not wear off. Neither of the two particularly liked their vegetables and the last person to get to the pond in front of the forest had to eat the other's share of vegetables during dinner._

_Today's snail race led to an unforeseen event. While flying over a squat round rock, Angie's foot caught the rock, effectively 'tripping' her off her toy broomstick. As she was showing off her flying with no hands, Angie fell off the broom, landing shoulder first into the grass. _

_Sirius continued forward, laughing at how slow they were going, shouting taunts at his best friend. "Just imagine all that broccoli you're going to have to eat! You look like a brontosaurus when you eat that stuff! They're like mini trees!" Sirius continued for a moment until the lack of retort caught his attention. He turned the broom as fast as he could and saw her there, lying on the ground, head down. _

_There was something wrong with the way her body lay there, slumped over. Her right shoulder lay abnormally low, her legs bent at a high angle leaving her rear in the air. _

_Sirius gasped and jumped off his toy broom and ran towards her. "Angie!" He was at her side, shaking her, "Angie!" Tears formed at his eyes as he tried to blink them away, "Angie! Angie, please! Angie, get up!" He pleaded. The tears did not leave his eyes. "Angie! This isn't funny!" Tears flowed freely from his eyes. _

_Turning to her left side, Angie got up from the ground, eyes pained by the contrast of sunlight, dirt smeared over her right cheek and right shoulder slumped down. "Hah hah, you're crying!" She forced out in pain._

_Sirius wiped the tears off his eyes, "Was not!" Flinging his arms around her, Sirius forgot about the dislocation of her shoulder. _

_Angie's scream filled the air, the signal for her parents to come rushing to her side._

* * *

_August 1974 was a particularly fun summer that changed the perspectives of Angie and Sirius. The summer led them to explore the streets of downtown Montreal while visiting Angie's godmother, her aunt Lucy. Lucy was Angie's mother's younger sister. Led to Montreal by her boyfriend Joshua at the age of twenty-six, Lucy now lives alone and away from "that mumbling idiot". Angie never did find out why they broke apart but did see the difference in her aunt's composure._

_"Dear Angie and Sirius,_

_ Terribly sorry for the inconvenience but the neurology center called me in. It seems that our deep coma patient_

_ finally woke up. Alas, we may finally be able to pull the memory of that night from his mind._

_ I'll see you tonight, hopefully. Don't do anything I wouldn't do._

_Lucy."_

_The note was left on the bathroom mirror where Lucy was sure they'd see it. Sirius whooped with glee when he saw it. "Great! Let's go poke around the city! I've always wanted to go to the Biosphere."_

_Angie frowned, "The Biosphere? Are you kidding me? I don't want to stare at an exhibit on water off all things."_

_"It's not water. It's … Uh… stuff that isn't water!"_

_"Forget it. Let's go find Chinatown!"_

_"What good can possibly be in Chinatown today?"_

_"Dim sum." A blank look ensued. "Food. Chinese food."_

_"Well, if you put it like that…"_

_And so the pair strolled through the busy streets of downtown Montreal, making their way to Chinatown for a breakfast that was pushed to their table. Deciding that Little Italy was worth finding, the pair hopped on the metro, an underground tram that had dirtied white seats and an orange interior. Of course, after finding Little Italy, panic set in as parts of it began to resemble the West Island, a forty-five minute car ride away from the city. _

_"Sirius, if we don't get home soon, Lucy's going to kill us! I don't even know where it is anymore!"_

* * *

Home. Sirius ponders the place for a moment. Where is home? Home certainly was not back at 12 Grimmauld Place. His blood-batty mother and father could take it in the most unpleasant places and he would not care. While the Potters had made him feel welcome this past summer, home was not with them either. Something was always missing for him to call the place home. 

Pondering the place, Sirius asks himself what made a place home. He concludes that home is where trust, safety, love and comfort are. He needed to find a place where he could trust everyone in there with him.

His parents house is no such place. Trusting anyone in there, even the house elf, Kreacher, in an idea for the mad. In addition, the house lacks safety despite its many wards, enchantments and protection charms. The threat of his mother's wrath, the poison that covers the tops of her rings and her contempt for his "blood-traitor, Gryffindor-loving ways" always secures his position of bodily harm and mortal danger. The love his parents had once had for him died the moment the Sorting Hat declared him a Gryffindor. Quite obviously, comfort is only something a masochist would find in the clutches of mortal peril.

Thought Sirius found safety, love and comfort with the Potters, he did not find that he could trust them with the secrets of his past. He could not trust them with games he had played as child with the other pureblood children; he could not tell them of 'Hide, Mudblood, Hide' or 'Muggle, You're Dead!'. Thoughts of the games had been tucked to the recesses of his mind, away from his everyday thoughts. He had never forgotten the "privilege" he had had of whipping a muggle child from a nearby village in Budapest where the Annual Pureblood celebration took place. "Don't worry. He is an orphan anyway," One of the Hungarian wizards had told him.

Through it all, a small voice reminds him of the girl he had confessed everything to, the girl who knew of the horrors in his past but thought no less of him. The voice reminds him of the completion he feels with her, the safety that seems to sublimate from her very being, the platonic love they share and the comfort to be himself around her.

With a start, Sirius sits up and gets off his bed. It has to be tonight.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

In the highest room of the turret that contains the girls' dormitories, Angie lays on her bed munching popcorn as she watches the enchanted projector play _Casablanca_ on a white bed sheet that hangs from the ceiling. Alone in the room, the projection casts an eerie glow upon her features, a sort of magical optical effect.

Once the movie ends, Angie lifts herself from her bed and makes her way to the door. Thinking nothing of it, Angie opens the door to see a sight that makes her quickly close it again.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Sirius makes his way across the common room from the boys' staircase to the girls'. He ignores the looks of surprise and intrigue. The occupants are, without a shadow of a doubt, wondering why Sirius Black, one of the most sought after bachelors of the school, is not out on a date, chatting up some girl for the best three hours of her teenage life.

He makes his way up the girls' staircase, climbing up until he reaches the girls' dorm. Hand shaking, he knocks on the door and waits for it to open. Suddenly, telling her does not seem like a good idea anymore. What if she laughs a him? What if she thinks he is a lesser man because of it? The bottom of his stomach falls into the recesses of his body as the anxiety sets in more comfortably. He reconsiders his actions and decides to leave.

Too late.

The door to the sixth year girls' dormitory opens and the girl that sees him takes his presence the wrong way. Two arms are thrown around his neck, pulling him down to her face. A pair of lips savagely attack his mouth, poking and prodding his own with her tongue. Fake, honeyed moans come from her throat as he stoops there, arms dangling at his sides, eyes wide and bulging, praying that she does not see this. In the corner of his left eye, he sees a door open and close quickly.

Time to make new prayers then.

Snapped into reality, Sirius raises his arms and pries the arms off from around his neck, wrenching his face from hers. The girl is startled: being ripped off her longtime crush is not something she expects. She foresaw him being breathless and swooning from her kiss. The anger and frustration that contorts his features are neither expected nor welcome.

"What the hell, Marissa! Do you just snog everyone who happens to knock on this door?" He snarls. He hopes Angie hears him and reconsiders the scene that just unfolded.

"It's okay, Sirius, darling," Marissa Pierce coos, trying to maintain the façade that he is here to see her, "I knew you were coming for me. It's okay. Now everyone will know about our love." The narrowed eyes tell her that her ship is sinking.

"What are you babbling about?" He snarls. "You know what? Just forget it, okay? Where's Angie? I need to talk to her." His anxiety has dissipated into frustration.

"Angie? What do you need her for?" Marissa asks innocently. Time to dispatch a new ship.

"That is not of your concern. Just tell me where she is."

"Of course it's my concern. Didn't she tell you? She my new best friend."

Frustrated and unconvinced, "Then she'll tell you when we're done talking, won't she?"

Another sunken ship in the waters of failed schemes. "We kicked her and Lily out. She's in the room at the top of the stairs."

He rolls his eyes and continues up the stairs when it dawns upon him: she was the one who opened and closed the door. His stomach churns uneasily: he has no hope. He continues up the stairs anyway, determined but dreading to see this through. He knocks on her door and waits. No answer. He knocks again. Still no answer.

Why won't she answer him? Does it matter so much that Marissa Pierce kissed him? Of course it does. He smacks himself as he sits on the topmost stair. How had the simple fact that Angie and Marissa hate escaped him? He knows that they have hated each other since first year when Marissa tried to coax Angie into ditching Sirius' side by calling him all sorts of names like "Blood Worshipper" and "Insane Inbreed". He knows what changed Marissa's opinion of him: he grew up, got developed.

He sighs, knows that the only person who can help him is currently in the company of Christopher Smith. He leans against the wall waits dejectedly.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Lily Evans had almost had a good night. Christopher had taken her to a small restaurant in Hogsmeade, bought her a rose and even pulled her chair out for her. He listened to her talk about herself for five minutes before spending the rest of the night listened to him talk about himself. He told her of how he had almost considered going to the Chelsea Institute for Exceptionally Brilliant Wizards, a pureblood school before deciding that Hogwarts would be better since it is closer to his hometown and, subsequently, his on-and-off girlfriend. He spoke of how he'd like to become a model upon graduation and proceeded to show her the poses for every piece of clothing, convinced there was something different in each one. The doom of a convent in the Vatican loomed ahead once more.

Lily had left Christopher's side faster than cheetah pursuing an antelope. As she enters the portrait hole, she looks forward to ranting about her night to Angie. In her mind, Angie got off lightly. She marches up the stairs and is greeted by a sight that makes her entire angry storm dissipate.

"Sirius, what are you doing here? Why aren't you inside with Angie?" Lily asks, genuinely concerned.

"Well, you see, that bitch Marissa Pierce, " a look of understanding spreads across Lily's face, "staged a surprise attack on my face when I came up here to talk to Angie. I didn't know you two were annexed to this room so I knocked on the sixth years' door. Marissa opened the door and immediately jumped me. I know that Angie had the worst timing because I saw this door open and close out of the corner of my eye. I didn't know why she was so pissed at first and then I realized that since it was Marissa Pierce of all people, it would be seven million times worse than had it been anybody else."

"Sirius, how much do you care about Angie?"

"More than I could ever express."

Lily raises an eyebrow before she says, "Okay. You go back to your dorm and I'll talk to her for you. With any luck, she'll be talking to you again by tomorrow. You know, you're not as much of an asshole as I thought you were."

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Remus comes back to Gryffindor Tower later that night from patrols. He makes his way to the boys' dormitories only to be joined by Angie. He does not question why she is coming with her. He knows the nature of their friendship, he knows that her presence in the same bed will give Sirius problems as she unknowingly teases him.

"When we go in, don't tell him I'm with you."

Remus nods and opens the door to their messy camp of the dormitory. The socks and clothes still littered the floor as the sound of snoring came from the direction of Peter's bed. James lies in his bed, completely dazed, hoping that Lily received his gift and would, as such, give him even a small chance to be with her. Sirius lies awake, listening for Remus to come in. James hadn't given him much advice that was useful.

"Moony, what am I going to do?" He calls out, completely unaware that Angie is with him. "Marissa Pierce planted her repulsive lips on mine and Angie saw it. She never gave me a chance to explain it either. I mean, I didn't think it was that big of a deal until I realized that she and Marissa hate each other. I doubt that they would hesitate to skewer the other's insides and drop them into the deepest circle of Hell to lay forever at the feet of the giants."

"Wow…. I wasn't aware you read The Divine Comedy." Remus replies.

"That's not the point."

"I know. I don't know what to say, Sirius. I guess you're just going to have to wait a bit to see where this will take you."

Deftly, Angie pads over to his bed and parts the hangings ever so slightly. He does not notice: he is too busy being frustrated with his friend. "Some help you are."

"I think he was right though." Angie murmurs into Sirius' ear.

Sirius jumps, "Angie!" He sits up, "How long have you been here?"

"As long as Remus has been here." She pulls out her wand and places a silencing charm over the bed. "Don't worry. Lily told me first."

"Oh. Remind me to thank her, will you?"

Angie nods and climbs into the bed with him, drifting to sleep with him. It astounds him that, just like that, their friendship is good again. He does not tell her his revelation though. Soon. He'll tell her sometime very soon.

**A.N: Oh wow. I'm really sorry. I know my profile said May 30th but the spyware couldn't have picked a better time to attack my computer. Of course, it has to be the really distracting ones that are like, "shoot a duck and win an iPod Nano!" (I don't mean they're distracting prize-wise: it's the games themselves) Yes, that is correct, I am a loser who indulges in playing pop-up games. I also picked up a nasty bit of non-enthusiasm toward writing this chapter. My imagination is so far ahead of where I am writing wise (somewhere around chapter 18). I'm not really all that pleased with this chapter: it's almost like I copy-pasted my outline. Gross, eh? Tell me what you think. Hopefully the next chapter will be better... And yes, one of them will finally stop beating the bush... Eventually. :P I'm bad, aren't I? Well, please review.**

**By the way, I posted the rewrites of chapters 5, 6, and 8. It's not a major change but still something worth looking into.  
**


	13. Time

**Chapter 13: Time**

_Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time_

_Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines_

_- Time, Pink Floyd, 1973_

Time is a tricky thing to deal with. Some physicists believe that time exists in its own dimension. The ability to go back and forth in time is a sought after power. Men have built devices to do so, hoping to discover the wonders of the past or to fix that one mistake in their lives. A simple shift to the right can make all the difference, as can knowing when to reveal secrets within one's self to another.

Sirius Black is not weak. On countless occasions he has been the rock for his friends. He was there on that first train ride to Hogwarts to stop a nasty group of Slytherins from picking on and tormenting Peter Pettigrew. He had stood up for Remus Lupin in his very first term when most of the students thought that Remus' appearance alluded to a hidden drug addiction. He was there to console James Potter the very first time Lily Evans had rejected him. The number of times he had been there for Angelica Benson is too large to count within the space of an hour. No, Sirius Black is most certainly not weak.

So why had he not told Angie of his little epiphany? It is a matter of timing. Telling her in the middle of dinner would either make her fling food in his face and leave or stare at him for a particularly large moment during which he would mentally kick himself for even saying it. Or she would do both in reverse order. No, dinner most certainly was not the proper time to do it. He could try telling her during class… No, that would not work either. She would pretend not to have heard him and continue with the task at hand and he would still be mentally kicking himself for for even thinking of _trying_ to tell her then. He could try telling her during a break period… But she would leave him immediately and make up some excuse about forgotten homework that she had certainly completed the day she had received it. He could always write it in code but this particular epiphany ought to be revealed in person, spoken, not written. No, he could not tell her just yet. The timing was all off. Perhaps in five thousand years, when all the planets align, he could finally tell her.

Stuck pondering his issue and having a mental debate with his bowl of cereal, Sirius glares at the offending cereal for even suggesting he try sneaking up to her room one night and telling her. 'I tried that before, remember? Look where that got me!' Sirius psychologically snaps at the bowl.

This March morning certainly was not going as planned. He did not anticipate getting into a philosophical battle of wits with his breakfast (that cannot speak to begin with) nor to be sulking around. He looks around him and sees that the morning did not go as planned for his fellow Marauders either. Someone had enchanted the food on Peter's plate to flee from anything that tried to stab or pick it up; Remus is asleep with his face in his bowl of oatmeal from the exhaustion that settled in from the past two days of gallivanting about during the full moon; James is marching toward certain death.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

"Good morning, Evans, Angie." James announces as he takes a seat next to Lily. This is the time that it will certainly work. This is the time that Lily will say 'yes' and go out with him. This is what he keeps telling himself.

"Go away, Potter." Lily replies, not looking at him at all. Her attention is focused on the emerald pendant that hangs on a chain around her neck. She does not know who gave it to her.

"That's a pretty necklace you've got there, Evans." James continues, not paying any attention to the dismissal.

"Um.. Thank you?" Lily utters. The confusion that engulfs her forces her to wonder just what exactly is going on. Resolutely, she decides that she will not go out with him until he learns to call her by her first name.

"Listen, there's a Hogsm-"

"No, I don't want to go with you."

The direct and sharp tone of Lily's answer nearly pierces him like a well-aimed sniper's shot between the eyes. He does not know what went wrong this time. He had addressed her, taken notice of something other than her pretty face and had been polite throughout. Why is she still gunning him down?

"Why not?" He sounds like she had just kicked his puppy. He wants to kick himself for it.

"Because you have no respect for me nor for anyone around you." He is about to defend himself when she continues to shoot him down. "Just look at what you did to Snape yesterday and then tell me why I should go out with you."

She has a point. Just yesterday he had rigged the door to the potions classroom to belt out insults at anyone who touched the door knob. He had transfigured Snape's schoolbag into an orangutan while causing his books to morph into pigeons and relieve themselves all over him. While most thought it was funny, Lily and the Slytherines were the only ones who remained scowling at the sight.

"Potter, I wouldn't go out with you even if you were the last male on earth!" With that, Lily storms out of the Great Hall, followed closely by Angie.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

The week's lessons seem to have rolled by at the speed of light. Classes finish as soon they start. For those who believe that time is the fourth dimension, the speed at which the dimension traveled this past week exceeded that at which the third one did. It is as though time could not wait to bestow the misery of free time and vulnerability upon Lily Evans. However, it is not only to Lily's dismay.

Sirius Black finds it easier to shove the feelings and the epiphany to the back of his mind when he is occupied. Class time gives him a legitimate excuse for diverting his attention from his best friend and current love interest. The fact that he had not really spoken to Angie since Valentines' Night was not acceptable nor is speaking to her something he particularly wants to do.

Angelica Benson looks forward to the weekend. The weekend seems to be the only time she will be able to have a proper word with Sirius. He has not spoken to her much and it worries her. At the beginning of the week, his particularly exhausted state troubled her. Has he found someone else to occupy his nights? Of course not. She has not seen him with anyone. Perhaps their relationship is to remain a secret… He would have told her. Come to think of it, the four boys did look very tired... Maybe they were setting a particularly large prank in motion. Whatever it was, she will get it out of him eventually.

"Alright, that's it. I don't want Potter to tail me all over the place tonight." Lily declares that Friday night, "So, we're going to have a girls' night tonight. We'll play some records and talk, ok? Maybe we can even resume our cribbage tournament..."

"Yeah, sure." Angie agrees. She'll tell Lily about her problem with Sirius and then take action the next day.

At the other end of the table, Sirius and James were making similar plans. "You and I are going to storm the girls' room tonight. If I know Evans' wrath half as well as I think I do, she'll go where she thinks we can't go: her dorm. And I bet you more than anything that Angie'll be there with her."

"I don't know, James. I've been trying to keep mum around Angie." Sirius sighs.

"Keep mum? Why?" James is flabbergasted. Sirius rarely keeps secrets from her.

"Because, I can't shake the feelings for her. They're stuck or something. And since she's my best friend, they're absolutely not right."

"That's ridiculous! What was that epiphany you had a while ago?"

"That has nothing to do with it." Sirius answers blankly.

"Answer the question."

"Fine! We'll go up and you can spend your night pestering Evans. Just know that it'll be your fault if she guts you like a fish."

Time and destiny are not on Sirius' side. He does not want to talk to her about this so soon. He would rather place, at the very least, half a year between now and the moment he tells her. Should his feelings change before then, at least their friendship will be safe.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Having raided the kitchen before starting their girls' night, Lily and Angie have laid out the crisps, popcorn and cakes on the floor between their beds. In the far corner, a table whose surface is covered in alcohol awaits to serve its purpose. Dressed in nothing other than knickers and a camisole, stretched across the mattresses with the hangings pulled wide open, Angie and Lily lay on their stomachs facing each other, trading the latest gossip.

"… And, you know, people who were there swore they saw him wretch a couple times before he lost it and just threw up right then and there. He threw up in her mouth and all over her!"

"Gross!"

"I know. Her friends cleaned her up and everything and I guess his friends cleaned him up too but it's not like that did them any good because they went back down and started snogging all over again!"

"Eww! And he's still with her?!"

"I know! He must've sucked up hardcore for her to take him after that. I mean, sure, he's good looking but vomit takes a lot to conquer. Besides, she must've been too drunk to remember it."

"You know what? After all he's done, he totally deserves to be known as 'Vomit Boy'. I don't feel sorry for her either. I mean-"

A knock on the door kills whatever comment Angie was going to make. Pushing herself up from her bed, Angie strides over to the door, ready to tell whoever it is that the quality bonding time between Lily and herself is not to be interrupted, not even for the end of the world. "Look, whatever it is that you want, it can-" She stops as she realizes who it is standing at her door. "What're you doing here?"

A startled look graces the boy's face as he takes in her attire. He regains composure and then says, "We've come to talk to you and Lily tonight. We figured that we haven't spent much time with you in the past few days and I would hate to think that you two are avoiding us." said James.

Angie stares at him, completely puzzled. Before her is the lone figure of James Potter. Why he insists on addressing himself as more than one person confuses her. "James, what are you talking about? Everyone knows that Lily would avoid you like the plague if it means that you would stop trying to get her to go out with you. But I must ask you, why do you refer to yourself in plural?"

"Because he thinks he has the importance of three people, not just one!" Cries Lily's voice from behind Angie.

"Wha- Oi! Sirius, get up here, will you? You're making me look crazy!" James yells.

Sirius ascends a couple stairs so that he comes to a halt next to James. "Ah, fair damsel. How may I be of service to you, Lady Angelica?"

Angie blushes and shakes her head, "Good evening to you, Sir Sirius. Would you excuse me as I confer with Lady Lily for a moment?"

"Of course."

Angie turns around and strides over to Lily's bed. "Lily, what do you want to do? Do you want to send them on their way right now or would you like to invite them in?"

Lily's mind has already reached a conclusion. "Do you even have to ask, Angie? That's _James Potter_ outside! The whole point was to avoid him for tonight at the very least!"

"I knew you'd say that. Please, consider this, Lily, I haven't had the chance to speak to Sirius since Valentines' Night. It's like he's been avoiding me all this time and I want to know why. _I need _to know if I've done something to offend him, if I've done something to scare him off. Lily, it's a nightmare. I don't know why he's suddenly cut me off."

"So that's what you wouldn't tell me?" Lily asks as realization sets in. "I've heard you toss and turn night after night, smack the mattress in frustration and let out deep breaths. I never asked about it: I thought I'd give you the chance to tell me yourself." Angie nods. "Fine, we'll leave it to them to decide. They'll have to be closer to naked than us. Underwear only. Deal?"

"Deal."

Lily anticipates that Sirius will have more modesty and back out. If he couldn't talk to Angie for the past few weeks while fully dressed, how could he when he's only an article away from baring all? She counts on the fact that he'll back down and talk James out of it.

Angie knows better. Angie knows that Sirius knows she has seen him in less in July; Angie knows that James knows she's seen Sirius in less. Angie knows that James will neutralize his modesty. Angie knows that James won't take 'no' for an answer. She returns to the door to give her inquirers the sentence. "So, here's the deal, gentlemen: you either strip to your knickers and enter or you leave."

"And you? Will you be joining us in a 'knickers only' state?" James asks, eager to get a glimpse of Lily he had only seen that fateful New Year's Day. He deflates as Angie's head shakes 'no'.

"James, let's just leave them to have their peaceful night. It's not like you can't try speaking to her tomorrow." Sirius says, masking his eagerness to leave, to not say anything to Angie.

"Tell me, Sirius." Angie says, capturing his attention, "Tell me why you won't talk to me anymore. Tell me why you've been avoiding me." She does not know why she said it; she does not know where the idea to ask him came from.

"I can't, Angie. I can't tell you. Not now." Sirius murmurs, eyes downcast.

"Angie, could you give me a moment to confer with my fellow gentleman?" James asks.

Angie nods and makes her way back to her bed. She is crestfallen. Since when is Sirius Black, her best friend since teething, incapable of talking to her? Has he done something that could appall her? Of course not: she knows all of his dirty childhood secrets. She knows every single skeleton in his closet by name, location and date of entry. Furthermore, even after having been trusted with this information, she stays by him, a trusted, faithful companion. Simply put, she is confused.

"Sirius, why don't you tell her? Can't you see it's practically eating her up inside? You've given her nothing. She probably thinks she did something to offend you or you don't want to be her friend anymore. Sirius, you need to talk to her. You need to tell her. You need to tell her something, if not the truth than to tell her it's not her fault."

"James, this doesn't concern you. Please, stay out of it."

"Sirius, you need to tell her _something_! If you're not going to tell her of your-"

"JAMES! Don't say it." Sirius snarls.

"If you aren't going to tell her of whatever it is you feel for her, tell her it isn't her fault, that you aren't mad at her." James says, exasperated.

"I'll tell her later."

"Sirius, if you don't tell her tonight, I'll tell her. I don't need you to stay with me. Just know that if I tell her, I tell her everything. I'll tell her about Rachelle- the _truth_ about Rachelle, I'll tell her about Valentines' Night and your version of her birth-"

"ALRIGHT! We'll go in, and I'll tell her tonight. Are you happy now? Fucking extortionist..." Sirius caves in defeat. 'So this is timing, is it?' He remarks cynically to himself. He follows James into the room behind him, fake smile plastered to his face as he deftly undresses.

Lily is shocked. She sighs in defeat, frustration and anger clearly written across her face. "Happy, Angie?"

"And you're not, Lily?" Angie beams as she notes Sirius and James' sinewy figures being revealed from under their clothes. Lily scowls.

"Take a picture, Angie, it'll last longer." Sirius says to her.

"Brilliant idea!" Angie exclaims as he pulls out her camera and takes a picture.

"Perve." Lily mutters under her breath.

Angie flicks her wand at the record player which begins to play a song. "So, why are you here?" Angie asks earnestly.

"We've come here to spend time with you two lovely ladies." James says as he saunters towards Lily.

"Don't even think about it, Potter!" Lily yells before James can get any closer.

Sirius is standing near the table in the corner, looking everywhere but at Angie. He can't help the way his body wants to react to her right now. Sure, she isn't naked at the moment but the clothing she has on does nothing to conceal her voluptuous body. He loves her curves, each and every one of them. Her hair is tied up loosely, a few wisps frame her face. Her blue eyes shine brightly in the candlelight, lit up further by her amused expression. He wants to do things to her that are entirely inappropriate, things that mere friends don't do. He wants to kiss her with every fiber of his being. He wants to plant his lips anywhere he can on her, everywhere he can. He wants to run his fingers through her hair, whisper sweet nothings in her ears. He wants to take her, _claim her_, mark her as his own. He wants her and he wants her now. And yet he does everything he can to avoid looking at her. He thinks about the grossest things he possibly can: tampons and pads and Snape and Bertha Jorkins naked… He regains control over himself.

"Hey Padfoot, why are you over there? Scoping out the liquor?" James calls to him, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Well, there's a nice forty of tequila and four shot glasses… I've Never?" He conceals his former thoughts.

"Oh no!" Lily cuts in, "I'm not getting liquored up around you two!"

"Lily, I'm hurt," Sirius interjects, "I thought I was an ok bloke in your books, you know, after what you asked me to do…"

Angie and James look up, perplexed by this statement. Lily sighs, "Yeah, I guess you are… But I still don't trust Potter here if I'm to be under the influence of alcohol."

"We'll cut you a deal, Lily." Sirius says, ignoring the looks his two best friends are giving him, "Angie and I wil make sure that James maintains a respectable distance-"

"Hey! I resent that!" James cuts in.

"-from you and you can decide that, when you've had too much liquor, the game will end, ok?"

"Deal..." Lily starts, "As long as I get to go first."

"Fine."

And so the group gathers into a small circle on the floor, tequila in the middle, shot glasses filled.

"I've never…" Lily begins, "Been in the Forbidden Forest."

Sirius and James each empty their glasses. "I've never been a prefect." James says.

"That was cheap." Lily empties her glass. "I've never… Had my best friend turn my ex-boyfriend into a goat for me."

Angie empties her glass while blushing. "I've never… No, I've done that… I've never… Um… had a passport."

Lily empties her glass yet again. "I've never been shot down by a girl 465 times." She drawls in a singsong voice, eyes focused on James. She frightens herself as she finds herself analyzing every muscle contract and relax as he lifts his shot to his mouth, pours the alcohol in, tilts his head back and swallows. She watches his biceps contract, his neck muscles extend as his head tilts, his Adam's apple rise and fall, his solid abdominal wall extend and retreat. She mentally smacks herself for it. Angie smirks, dully noting her friend's shameless staring.

James smirks. He'll get her back. "I've never shot down a guy 465 times."

Lily snarls and takes her shot. "Yet another cheap shot."

James shrugs, "It's still a shot."

"I've never kissed a girl."

Sirius and James roll their eyes and down their shots. "I've never broken my nose on a swinging door." James says.

"Not fair." Sirius grumbles, "Whatever happened to my turn?" He downs his shot and then says, "I've never been yelled at by a half- wait, yes I have… Damnit!" He stops to think. "I've never kissed a boy."

Lily and Angie roll their eyes and down their shots. "I've never had a sister." Angie says before Lily can come up with one.

Lily downs another shot. "I'm impressed with myself. I've never been able to tolerate hard liquor before."

Simultaneously, Sirius, James and Angie each down their shots. "Well, I've never been to the Caribbean." James says.

Angie and Lily each swallow their shots.

"When did you go, Angie? Lily?" Sirius asks, startled. He could swear that had Angie gone to the Caribbean, he would've known about it.

"Well, you know how my family have an island? How it's been passed down to the oldest child in the family? Well, at the moment, it's in my mum's name. Lily and I went together for a week in June a couple years ago." Angie explains.

"Why have you never taken me?" Sirius asks, affronted.

"You know my dad. He'd have never allowed it. I mean, as ridiculous as it may sound, he's under the impression that you've wanted to get into my knickers since we were fifteen." Angie blushes. Internally, she wants him to tell her that it's not as ridiculous as she may think it is, that he has feelings for her, that he wants to scoop her up into his arms and carry her off into the sunset… No, she does not. They are friends. Strictly friends.

James' eyebrows raise as he looks at Sirius who merely elbows him. "Yeah, that is ridiculous." Sirius monotones. If her father could tell before _he_ was even aware of his feelings, could she tell? Was that her way to goad him into telling her?

"I think I've had enough to drink." Lily says, cutting the tension as she awkwardly tries to get to her feet.

Quick as ever, James is on his feet, helping Lily stand. "Let go of me. I can stand perfectly fine on my own!" Lily seethes right before she falls back to the floor. "Forget I ever said that, Potter."

"Lily, how many times do I have to tell you? It's James." he says soothingly.

"How many times do I have to tell _you_? We're not on a first name basis, Potter." Lily snaps.

"Angie, mind if I change the record?" Sirius asks.

"No, go ahead."

The sound of the needle being pulled off abruptly pierces the room for a moment before the record is changes. The sound of static silence fills the room for a short moment until the first few notes and the sound of fingers snapping fill the room.

"Care to dance, my lady?" Sirius asks her as he hold out his hand for her to take. The liquor has addled his mind, frozen all impulses his miniature marauder might have. He is at ease to have her in his arms for the moment.

"You certainly may, good sir." She says as he pulls her close to him, a hand on her waist, the other holding her hand.

_I've got sunshine_

_On a cloudy day._

_When it's cold outside,_

_I've got the month of May._

They sway on spot, shuffling from side to side. Her hand rests comfortably on his shoulder, as it had three months ago that New Year's Eve night.

_Well, I guess you'll say_

_What can make me feel this way?_

_My girl.__ (My girl, my girl)_

_Talkin' 'bout my girl.__ (My girl)_

He draws her out and twirls her, pulls her back into him. He kisses her forehead, an intoxicated gesture he had not thought through.

_I've got so much honey_

_The bees envy me._

_I've got a sweeter song _

_Than the birds in the trees._

She does not say anything about his gesture. She steels herself up from it, passes it off as something he'd do when he's drunk. It cannot be. _They_ cannot be. They are just friends.

_Well, I guess you'll say_

_What can make me feel this way?_

_My girl.__ (My girl, my girl)_

_Talkin' 'bout my girl.__ (My girl)_

_Ooooh, Hoooo._

_Hey, hey, hey._

_Hey, hey, hey._

_I don't need no money,_

_Fortune or fame._

_I've got all the riches, baby,_

_One man can claim._

"Angie, I need to tell you something." He starts and she lifts her head to look at him. "I can't tell you everything just yet but you need to know that it's not your fault; it's nothing that you did. I've just had a lot of thinking to do these past few weeks."

_Well, I guess you'll say_

_What can make me feel this way?_

_My girl.__ (My girl, my girl)_

_Talkin' 'bout my girl.__ (My girl)_

_Talkin' bout my girl._

"Ok. You'll tell me in due time, right?" She asks and he nods.

_I've got sunshine on cloudy day_

_With my girl._

_I've even got the month of May_

_With my girl._

During the course of a song, everything is suddenly righted again.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Saturday morning sweeps the topmost room of the girls' dormitories, leaving golden beams of light in which flecks of dust dance in their near weightlessness. The curtains of two four-poster beds are welded shut as the sleeping teenagers lay in alcohol-infused dreams. The first two beds from the left side of the door each hold two sleeping teenagers: a boy and a girl. How it came to be is a minor detail that will not be remembered by the time they wake up.

Sirius Black wakes up in the bed furthest from the door. He lifts his left arm and wipes the sleep from his eyes. He lays there for a moment on his back, reveling in the long lost slight pressure on his chest. He gently removes her from him before turning on his side, watching the girl sleep for a moment. 'She looks so peaceful, so perfect. Who can imagine a life without her? A life without her laughter?' He thinks to himself, 'Last night was the first time I've heard her laugh in such a long time… I miss it.'

Angie feels as though everything is right in the world. She is asleep, there is darkness around her and yet there's a subtle radiation of body heat that keeps her warm. She is unaware that she is hung-over and being stared at. Her body is just the right temperature and there is a strong arm across her midriff, holding her protectively. She is in paradise.

Sirius continues to stare at her. He dully notes the soft way her lips just curved upwards. Her hair, disheveled as it may be, streams behind her, strewn across the pillow. Her eyelashes are long and thick, a sort of hem that marks where veils over her eyes end. 'I can't take it anymore. As soon as she wakes up, I'm telling her.' Sirius resolves as he continues to stare at her.

Several moments after his new resolve is implemented, Angie wakes up to find a splitting headache and her best friend staring at her. "You didn't take all the hangover draught, did you?" she asks groggily.

Sirius smiles and turns to the bedside table behind him, reaches to a flask before proceeding to give it to her. "Here you are, my dear. Should make you feel a thousand times better than you currently do."

"Thanks. You're a peach." She smiles at him as she drinks the contents that smell like dirty gym socks. "Too bad sugar neutralizes it."

Sirius chuckles as he takes the flask from her and replaces it on the bedside table. "Angie, I need to tell you something."

"Oh no…." Angie says, horrified. Fragments of the previous night rush past her in her mind but nothing of_ that_ nature comes to her. "We didn't _do_ anything last night, did we?"

"No. Nothing like that." He reassures her. He hopes that Remus was right about the sleeping-with-him thing. "I should have told you a long time ago about this."

"One of your ex-girlfriends isn't pregnant with your child, right?" She asks.

"No. Angie, could I please tell you? It's hard enough to say as it is without you asking every three seconds."

"Ok."

Sirius takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He has finally gotten her to stop interrupting but he suddenly wishes she would again. He does not know where to start. He inhales once more before finally begining. "Well, you see, that Valentines' Night, when I was on my way up to see you,-"

"Oh my god! You're going out with Marissa Pierce, aren't you? That's why you avoided me for a month! I can't believe I didn't realize that before! I-"

"Stop. You promised you wouldn't cut in until after I told you everything. And besides, you're freaking out for no reason. I'm not going out with Marissa Pierce. I had to use mouthwash for a good half hour to get her taste off my lips." He sighs; she laughs. "Listen, it's not easy for me to say this. Our friendship means alot to me. I just really need to say this to you. Angie, that night when you came in with Remus, I realized something. I realized that the only place I've ever felt at ease, like I'm at home- not my parent's house but you know, that place where the heart's supposed to be… the only place I've ever felt at home is wherever you are. You're the only one who knows me as well as I do, if not, more. You're the one who knows every skeleton in my closet. You're the only one that I feel at ease with.

"This realization made what I kept denying to myself all the more true. It made me stop running from the fact that I have feelings for you, deep feelings… The ones that go beyond friends. Angie, I'm-"

"I need to go to the bathroom." Angie monotones as she hastily gets out of the bed and rushes into the washroom. She shuts and locks the door behind her, takes a seat on the floor, drawing her knees to her chest, and rocks gently.

How long she spent like that she does not know. Twice Sirius came to the door, knocking on it softly only to be met with silence. He tries a third time, "Angie? Are you ok?" He waits for a moment before he pleads, "Angie, please answer me."

He curses himself. He thinks he was stupid for having told her. Look at where it got him: begging outside the bathroom in the spare chamber at the top of the girls' dormitories. He misses the point: he has terrible timing.

Like his previous attempts, this one yields no answer.

**A/N: Oh my… I'm still alive! I appologize profusely for the dreaful delays. I meant to put something in here about James and Lily but I decided that not only do I lack the inspiration to write about them right now without making it sound awkward, or the fact that it would take away from a really wicked (I'm a tease, aren't I?) ending, I've stalled this chapter long enough. **

**For those of you who believe that Sirius has more guts than I gave him, I know this does not appease the sentiments in regard to their deathly slow waltz to a hook up but think of it as a baby step foreward. According to my outline, there's still a long way to go for Angie and Sirius… **

**I would also like to take the time to say that while I have not updated in a while (albeit sooner than previous posts, eh? Aren't I getting better?) I have been reading. Anyone read Deathly Hallows yet? I must say that I quite enjoyed it… I still deny that Sirius is actually dead though (shut up about the resurection stone… I know)….**

**Oh! I've stopped working to enjoy my summer a bit more and have found myself to be graced with bad timing (the theme of this chapter). My boyfriend's nowhere near me for the next two weeks as he's on vacation so I find myself with and abundance of time on my hands… Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Maybe, but you don't know what I'm thinking:P**

**Anyway, kindly put in a review. I feel as though I deserve at least one :P**


	14. Endlessly

**Chapter 14: Endlessly**

"_I will wait for you" So spoke,_

_Misery_

_-Endlessly, She Said, A.F.I._

Someone once said that before things get better, they have to get worse than they already are. The exact reason why might not be definite but some believe that in order to truly appreciate the beauty of the end result, one must suffer a little bit first. The sensations that suffering summons are none too pleasant and most could do without them. Those who tough it out, those who survive to see the silver lining, are those who are the fortunate, the ones who reap the benefits.

At the present, Sirius Black is suffering. He had long since abandoned his post at the door of the girls' bathroom in favor of wallowing on his bed in self pity.

Lily had woken up to find James curled to her side and Sirius pawing at a closed door. Enraged at the tenacity of James' clinginess, she had proceeded by yelling at him to get out of her bed before walking over to Sirius to ask him what he thought he was doing. In awe, she listened as he told her of his confession from that morning and the results it had produced. Confused, she ushered Sirius to his dormitory, promising to talk to Angie for him because her actions did not follow any sort of logic.

That is how Sirius now finds himself lying on his bed, staring at the canopy, wondering where he had gone wrong. He contemplates where his honesty had gotten him and how his friends have failed him. He ignores James and his ecstatic retelling of how he had gotten kicked out of Lily's bed, of how, despite the slight hangover he had, last night's sleep was the best one he had ever had, of how he now knows what the touch of an angel feels like, of how much he wishes to feel it once again. Sirius turns onto his side, giving James the signal to quit his bragging.

Affronted, James walks over to face Sirius and sighs, "I know this is going to bring my mood down but you are my best friend, so spill. What's on your mind?"

Sirius stares at James for a brief moment, wondering how to word it all. Finally, he manages to utter, "Told her. She locked herself in the bathroom. What does that mean?"

James' face falls. Clearly, he had not been expecting that reply. "Okay," he begins, "What exactly did you tell her?"

"Well, I told her that she's the only one I'm ever completely at ease around," he pauses when he sees the look on James' face, "No offense to you mate but she knows things about me that you don't, things I could never tell you because they're just too hard to relive…"

"I understand, I guess."

"Okay. I told her about my feelings for her; but, before I could explain them, she locked herself in the bathroom. It's why I was at the door, begging her to open it and talk to me, to let me explain myself." Sirius sighs, completely confused by his best friend's actions.

"Wow. I… I don't know what to say to you, mate. I mean, I've gotten the closed, locked doors before from Lily but she was never my best friend, she was never my childhood companion. She's just… The girl I know I'm meant to spend the rest of my life with."

"You know, if I didn't feel the same way about Angie, I'd tell you that you sound like a pansy."

"Well, if that's the way you feel about her, maybe I could tell you a thing or two…" James intones, "Firstly, don't press her to talk to you. I mean, I know I did that to Lily; but that's because she would never talk to me if I didn't. Angie's your best friend, your hers; she can't help but have to talk to you eventually about it. Secondly, be patient. It might feel like Hell right now but, eventually, everything will clear up, everything will be good for you, okay?"

Deftly, Sirius nods his head. It is now that Peter decides to stop snoring and wake up. Seeing the solemn look on Sirius' face, he asks groggily, "What's wrong with him?"

James answers that he finally told Angie and Peter sighs, "Well mate, it took you long enough. At least now we can confirm that you do indeed have a spine." He then dodges the barrage of hurtled objects speeding at where his head used to be. "Cranky much?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Angie, you can't spend all day in the loo! Some of us need to go pee too, you know!" Lily yells across the door. Sirius had left a couple minutes ago and Angie still had not come out of her hiding place.

"Is he gone yet?" Angie answers for the first time.

Lily sighs, "Yes."

Slowly, deftly, the lock slides back and the door opens. Angie's eyes are glassy and red, home to a vacant look. Lily pulls her into a hug, "Oh Angie!" she whispers, "It's okay. It'll be okay." She ushers Angie back to her bed and sits next to her. "Whatever he said to you, I'm sure he didn't mean to break you with it."

"Lily," she whispers, "what do I do? I mean, what do I say to him?" She looks at Lily, eyes full of confusion and curiosity.

"I don't know, Angie. What did he say to you?"

"He… He… He said that he has feelings for me."

Lily's eyes widen as her jaw drops. "Do you mean to tell me that _he_ just told _you_ that _he_ has _feelings_ for you?" Angie nods. "The kind of feelings that you've been moping about for the better half of this year?!" She nods again. "Are you daft?! This is getting ridiculous, Angie! You finally get what you want and you shut yourself up from it? What is wrong with you, Angie?"

Angie sighs, "I realized last night that, if I were to lose him because he got bored of me or because he found someone else, our friendship wouldn't be the same. I mean, every time that I get my heart broken, he's always the one that picks me up and puts me back together again. He tells me that whoever it was, Chase or whoever, was a complete idiot for letting me go, that everything will be okay and that the right guy for me is out there somewhere. If I go out with him and it doesn't work out, what happens then? Who will help me put myself together again? Who will tell me that I'm not unwanted? If it ends on bad terms, will we get into a bitter fight and broadcast every single one of each other's secrets?"

Lily sighs, "And what if he's Mr. Right? Did you consider that he just might be the one out there for you? That the only guy who could ever make you happy just might be him? What if he doesn't get bored of you? What if, even if he does meet someone else, you're still the only one for him, the one that he would choose? Did you think about that?"

"Lily, that's not the point. Last night, I came to the conclusion that all that we could ever be is friends. It might be selfish but I'd rather not chance going anywhere further with him but have his friendship than take the risk and lose him forever."

"You're right; that is selfish. Don't you realize that it's not just your choice in the matter? That he, the guy who will do anything you ask of him, deserves a chance to _try_ to be happy? Don't you think he deserves a chance, as opposed to all the other idiots you've gone out with who've done nothing but break you heart?"

"Lily, I can't stand losing him."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

That Sunday, Angie realizes that if she doesn't talk to Sirius, she just may lose him all the same. It is for this reason that she makes her way into the common room, searching for a certain shaggy haired boy. To her dismay, she does not see him before she makes her way downstairs to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Gloomily, she takes a seat and swirls her spoon around in her bowl, trying to figure what she'd say to him if she sees him today. 'So, I was thinking about what you said and I uh… Nah. He deserves a lot better than that. Hey Sirius, I want to talk to you about what you said yesterday. I was thinking about it and as flattered as I am, I can't help but feel that we should remain friends.' She wrinkles her nose as she thinks it over, unaware of the person taking the seat across from her.

"Angie?" A voice asks her, scaring her out of her reverie, propelling her three feet in the air.

She catches her breath, eyes wide in shock as the boy sits across from her. "Jesus Christ, James! What the hell do you think you're doing, scaring the crap out of someone this early in the morning?!" She demands of him.

"I'm sorry about that but I really need to talk to you." He apologizes.

"Okay. What about?"

"About Sirius and your reaction to what he said to you yesterday morning."

"Oh," she sighs, "What would you like to discuss?"

"Well, I'd like to know you're side of it. Why did you lock yourself in the bathroom?"

"Go for the kill, why don't you?" She says, buying herself some time. Why did she lock herself in the bathroom anyway? "I, well, you need to understand, James, that I had feelings for him ever since… For a very long time. You see, watching him go out with girl after girl, hearing about how he thought each and everyone of them were 'the one' was torture but I stuck through it. Sure, I wondered when my turn was, when I would have my chance to have him, convince him that I was the one for him. Eventually, I steeled myself up from it. I tried to distract myself from thinking about him in that way because the general rule happens to be 'don't date your best friend' and he, of course has been my best friend since forever. I know doing that to him on his birthday was the worst thing I could have ever done to him but telling him, 'Oh… Well, that's too bad because ever since New Years Day, I decided that I could never be more than just friends with you.' Wouldn't that make me even worse of a person? So I locked myself in the bathroom, wondering why fate and time had to be so cruel to me, wondering why he couldn't have realized this sooner." As an afterthought, she pleads, "Please, don't tell anyone I said that, especially not Sirius."

James nods and then replies, "Actually, Sirius knew he had feelings for you ever since the beginning of the school year." James stated, only to realize his mistake. "I probably shouldn't have been the one to have told you that."

"Why couldn't he tell me sooner?" She wondered aloud.

"Why didn't you tell him at all?"

She thought about his question. Sirius' reasons were probably the same as her own. "I didn't want to wreck our friendship; I didn't want to make things awkward. I didn't know if he returned my feelings, I didn't know how he would react to it. I- Oh God, I've been so selfish!" She breaks down, but not enough to cry in front of James.

"It's ok, Angie. Just tell him. Tell him what you told me." He tries to comfort her.

"I can't, James. We're not meant for more than friendship; at least, not now anyway."

He sighs; he cannot believe she is going to put his best friend and herself through the misery of remaining friends. The tension between the pair is so painfully obvious and thick that he could slice it with a knife and serve it to the entire population of the school with enough for leftovers. "Angie, I'd tell you that it's your decision, that's it's your business except it's not just about you, you know?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Angie returns to the Gryffindor Tower after breakfast, ready and determined to march up the stairs to the dormitories, the boys' dormitories. She is determined that she will find Sirius there, possibly moping on his bed, cursing himself for telling her. She is determined to tell him everything.

She did not, however, foresee that Sirius would be in the shower and would, instead, find Peter sitting on his bed, poised to talk to her.

"Excellent. You've saved me the trouble of looking for you, Angie." He says to her in a manner that reminds her of a serial killer or a vampire.

"Um, okay…" She stammers, unsure of what he will say to her.

"I know that you're a girl and girls today like to toy with a man's heart: roll it between their hands, squeeze it, pinch it, abuse it. I know that you know he has feelings for you, that we've all listened to him bitch and moan about you and the problems he faced while trying to keep it from you. You have no idea how pathetic it was to listen to him. I mean, yeah, you are his best friend and all but I always thought he'd have more courage than to put it off since the beginning of the school year. Judging from your reaction to his telling you yesterday, I can't say I blame him anymore for wanting to keep it a secret, for not telling you all this time. Sure, listening to him was hell but at least he wasn't miserable, without hope and lacking any moral strength. His emotions weren't damaged to the point where he couldn't do anything but think that he had fucked up everything, think that you didn't feel the same for him, think that he had even lost you as a friend. But you wouldn't be here if that were true, would you?"

"No. No, I wouldn't. If I were repulsed with him, I wouldn't be here after being ambushed by James in the Great Hall over breakfast, listening to you after you trapped me into hearing you attack my gender."

The sound of the bathroom door opening signals for Peter to leave the room before Sirius had the chance to see him. His chest wet from several water droplets dripping from his hair, the lower half of his body covered by a white towel, Sirius steps into the dormitory, toweling his hair dry, believing it to be empty. The sight of his best friend, the one to whom he had professed his feelings for, catches him off guard. "Angie? What're you doing here?" He looks about the room for something to cover himself with frantically, not wanting her to believe him a pervert. He already believes that she does not return his sentiments.

"Don't worry about it, Sirius. It's my fault for being here. If you want, I could step outside while you get dressed," she offers.

"Uh, at least until I get some pants on, if you don't mind," he blushes sheepishly.

"No problem." Angie steps outside his door and waits, listening to him scuttle about the room hastily in search of clean clothes without making her wait too long. Less than thirty seconds later, the door opens to her again as Sirius ushers her in.

"So, what brings you up here?" He asks her as he leads her over to his bed to have a seat.

"You. I want to talk to you about yesterday morning." She is thankful that her voice has not failed her.

"Oh. Uh, about that, I-"

"No, stop. I don't need you to apologize to me about everything that you said. If anything, it's me who should apologize. My behavior was unacceptable and you deserve a lot better than that, especially on your birthday. I'm really sorry."

"Do you know what could make me feel better about it?" He asks her as a devilish grin makes its way onto his face.

She sighs before saying, "Sirius, that's what I came her to say. I can't. I can't be anything more than just friends with you," his grin falling from his face prompts her to add, "At least, not now anyway. You just turned seventeen. You have your whole life ahead of you! You're too young to be with anyone you might think is the one for you forever. I mean, you should be 'playing the field' instead. At this age I can't see you settling down with anyone. I mean, I don't want to ruin us, our friendship, over a fling."

He sighs and bites back the stinging in his eyes and the slower palpitations of his heart. He tries to look at the silver lining around it all: she said 'not now', not 'never'. He takes a deep breath and allows himself to recollect himself to say something. "Okay. I'll respect your wishes. I can't say that I'm pleased with your reasoning but I'll wait for you. I'll wait for as long as you make me. I'll wait until you can believe that I don't want or need anyone else but you."

Angie exhales violently, unable to understand why it feels like her heart is cracking in two, but a warmth is spreading over her body. She does not know why he is still so sweet while she puts him on hold. She looks at him, unable to say anything and thus simply nods her head.

"So, would a hug be too much to ask for now?" He asks her, "I mean, you did make me miserable on my birthday…"

She looks at him and wonders how he still manages to smile at her. Had their situation been reversed, she would have been too disappointed to look at him straight, too distraught for words, too upset to want to be around him for a while. But he is not her. She smiles at him, "Of course."

Standing secure in each other's arms, she feels the familiar tingle of safety ebb over her, the prickle of doubt in the back o her mind. "So, we're still friends, right?" He asks her, eyes focused on the top of her, waiting for her to look up at him.

"As long as you still want me to be."

"Well, I think I told you that I don't but if it's all you can give me, I will gladly accept it."

Always, the dark and sinister cloud has a silver lining. It's unavoidable. Whether the silver is bright and shiny or dark and tarnished is a different matter. If the lining is bright and shiny, rejoice for the benefit of your efforts is laid upon you now. If the lining is dark and tarnished, do not despair for, with a little effort, your bounty will be bestowed upon you, a most precious treasure.

With a little bit of work and patience, Sirius resolves, he will get her. He will wait until the end of time to have her if he must… That is not to say that a little sooner would not be welcomed.

**

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**

**A/N: So there you have it. It was anti-climatic, I know. Oh well. As long as that's written, all the better, I suppose. Someone told me that I crossed the line with all the tension and I suppose I have. Bare in mind though, I never said there won't be any tension. If you think there's too much, I apologize and I invite you to discontinue reading this story. Honestly, I don't write solely for you, the reader; I write for myself. I mean, I guess that's the secret to sticking by your story: the ability to entertain yourself because if you don't think it is, who will/rant**

**Anyway, I hope you found entertaining and not too much of a filler chapter. I promise, they will end up together eventually, k? Please review!**


	15. Slipping Off My Tongue

Chapter 15: Slipping Off My Tongue

_Oh the rhythm of my heart is beating like a drum  
With the words 'I love you' rolling off my tongue  
No never will I roam for I know my place is home  
- Rhythm of My Heart, Rod Stewart_

WHEN THE SCHOLASTIC year is drawing to a close and there is nothing but the joy of summer on the horizon, a certain sense of panic floods the student body. A short distance away, right before the horizon, the final exams loom ahead. As sheer panic sets in, long nights of emergency cramming begin and the slight buzz of social life dies down for a bit. This is the consequence of the month of May.

Sirius Black attempts to hold all manner of focus while his captain, James Potter, forces the team to do drill after drill in preparation for the final quidditch match against Slytherin in four days' time. He attempts to focus on smacking the bludgers as far away as possible, the nag of his feelings slowly diminishing with each satisfying crack.

"Oi! Sirius! Focus a little!" James yells at him, "You almost took out Henry!"

'Henry… That can't be good,' Sirius thinks, 'Henry's the seeker...' Smacking his forehead with his free hand, Sirius yells, "Sorry, Henry!" He casts his eyes about the field, looking for Matthew, his fellow beater, to whom he was supposed to be smacking the bludgers to. Finding him down field, Sirius smacks the next bludgers away, unaware of two of his friends camping out in the bleachers.

"SO, WHY DID you bring me here anyway?" a girl asks the boy who had led her to the bleachers, "I mean, isn't James going to kick our asses for being out here? I mean, I'm pretty sure he doesn't think too highly of me after what I did…"

"Nonsense, Angie," Remus replies, "James is just a little disappointed with you, that's all."

"If by 'disappointed' you mean 'absolutely hates your guts for slowly torturing Sirius from the inside' then yes, I would have to agree with you." Angie's cynicism escapes, "but stop avoiding the question. Why did you drag me out here?"

"Because sunlight is good for your complexion and you need to study… Grass leaves stains on your skirt and the bleachers don't. Good enough?"

"No. Sunlight can be found anywhere else on the grounds and thus studying can be easily done there. Grass stains can be removed by magic, if not by me then by the elves."

"Angie, you need to see the effect you have on him. He can't think straight. Didn't you notice that he has almost unseated the seeker nearly five times since we've sat down?"

Looking at the practice unfolding before her, Angie sees Sirius struggling with his bat, a weird look on his face, betraying his inner struggle for control. Once again, the bludger he hits makes yet another beeline for Henry. "I'm so sorry, Henry! I promise to try to stop doing that!" He calls out to his seeker who is having yet another panic attack.

"POTTER! EITHER DO something about him or let me leave in one piece and breathing!" Henry calls to James, clearly irate about having to continuously dodge bludgers.

James stops the new attack formation he had been partaking in to follow Sirius' line of sight, who has evidently taken notice of the occupants in the bleachers. Realizing who exactly is throwing him off his game; James frowns as he makes his way to Sirius. "Mate, get your head in line. Staring at her won't help anything. If you want, go down there and talk to them for no more than five minutes. When you come back to practice, I expect your attention on the field and not in the stands."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea. I mean look at them! They're clearly having a blast talking together! Maybe… Maybe she has feelings for Remus. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised since Remus is the sensitive and sensible one of us all…" His jealousy makes its way on his face, a darker look cast over his eyes.

"Sirius, as your captain, I'm _ordering_ you to go down there and talk to her. Go and satisfy your curiosity or something. Clearly, this blind jealousy of yours is getting the better of you." James flies away, blowing on his whistle and calling for the chasers to once again take up their positions and run the previous play.

Deciding that following James' orders would be good for him, Sirius flies over to Angie and Remus. "Hey, you two, what're you up to?" He tries to act calm and indifferent as the dark look continues to occupy his eyes.

"Not much. We're just talking. What about you?" Remus supplies as he tries to ease his friend's conscience.

"I've almost hit our seeker at least six times now… James sent me here to take a moment and regain my senses." He looks at Angie who is looking at him quizzically, "Would you mind if I spoke to you privately?"

"Um, no. I mean, we are best friends after all," she stammers.

He leads her down the stairs to bottommost row and looks at her, pushing his feelings aside. Now is not the time for him to disturb her with them. "Listen, I need to know, is there anything between you and Remus?"

The question is out of the blue for her, completely left field and thus catches her off guard. "No. He just brought me up here to study and soak in the sun," she pauses, "and to observe your distractedness as you practice. Tell me, Sirius, what's occupying your mind?"

He closes his eyes, clearly wishing she had not asked him that. He has never been able to lie to her and telling her the truth right now would be inconceivable. And yet, he says it anyway, "You. I know you said you just want to be friends for now and I respect that but you can't expect me to magically freeze everything because matters of the heart don't work like that... And, as far as right now goes, I feel like a ham that's being slowly roasted alive. I can't seem to clear my mind of you and how much I-" he stops to study her, the way her jaw hangs and the movement of her eyes as she tries to look anywhere but at him, "Maybe I should stop before I continue to creep you out." And just like that, he mounts his broom and flies back to the practice, not quite as cathartic as he had hoped it would be but still effective nonetheless.

"ALRIGHT, SO NOW that we've established that I'm still his ultimate mind block, what do I do about it?" Angie asks as she returns to her seat next to Remus.

"Well, that would depend on your feelings toward him, your thoughts on the situation and why you deny yourselves the pleasure of being together because the whole school can see that you two are meant for each other."

Angie rolls her eyes, "You know, James cornered me the day after during breakfast and Peter cornered me when I went to look for him. If your intention is to tell me that I'm being foolish at the moment, that denying him and telling him that I want to remain friends is a ridiculous and selfish action, I will tell you now, Remus Lupin, you've got another thought coming."

"Well, do enlighten me. Why is it not a selfish thing to do?" He asks her, clearly bemused.

"Because I don't want to get hurt," she says quietly, sadly, "because I don't want to lose him to a bad fling."

"Angie, you know as well as I do that he would never hurt you, that he would never fathom pushing you away." Remus soothes her, "And you would never be a fling with him. You mean far too much to him for it to be just about snogging and shagging."

"I need to go, Remus."

IN THE LIBRARY, Angie finds Lily in a secluded corner, surrounded by books, parchment, and quills, bent over a piece of paper, shifting her attention from the book in her lap to scrawl a sentence on a formerly blank piece of parchment. Quietly, Angie draws a chair opposite Lily and deposits her book bag next to her.

"What're you studying today?" Angie asks her, hoping she doesn't scare her friend too badly.

"_We_ are studying for potions today." Lily says without looking up, "It's day one of our study schedule."

"Right! I totally forgot about that. So, unit one, I suppose."

"Indeed."

The pair then set off about their own study, occasionally interrupting the other with a brief question. They continue in a comfortable silence for a period of time that neither was too sure about. The shadows on the desks cast about by the towers of books progressively grow longer, a slow invasion of the illuminated space.

"I don't know why you did it." Lily says suddenly, as the shadows begin to infiltrate the pages of Angie's book.

"Did what?" Angie asks, glad to have a moment to turn away from her notes.

"Why you told him to stay friends with you."

Angie rolls her eyes, "This coming from the girl who refuses to give James Potter a chance." It's a feeble stab, she knows.

Lily lets out a violent breath, "He destroyed my friendship with Snape. Before him, I could forget that Seve-Snape was in Slytherin, the house that hates people like me. Then… Then that day when Snape called me that happened and I can't help but blame Potter for it."

Angie was flabbergasted. Out of every single time that she had asked Lily about it, she had never heard this reason. "Lily, the guy called you a…. A… I can't even _say_ it! I mean, honestly, if anything, you should thank James that it happened because if that is what he secretly thought all along, it's about time that he put it out there, no?"

"Angie, you probably know better than I do that ignorance is bliss." Lily retorts.

"I suppose you're right about that."

THE WEEK THAT passes by next feels like eternity for Sirius. Long days of class and review coupled with long practices at night in anticipation of the final quidditch match exhausts him to the point where even the reserve energy has been burnt. The sad state that Angie has left him in does not help the emotional drain on him either.

It is the morning of the final quidditch match and Sirius is panicking in his dorm. On his hands and knees, Sirius crawls across the messy floor, random pieces of clothes tossed to and fro behind him as he frantically searches for a certain item of his. "James!" he calls, "Have you seen my lucky tee shirt?"

Across the room, James rolls his eyes and answers, "No but if you find my favorite pair of underwear, please send them my way! I haven't seen them in months!"

Sirius considers this for a moment before quickly jumping to his feet. "Maybe I'll just see where playing without it takes me?" He offers uncertainly. The last month and a half has not gone the way he had hoped it would. Ideally, he would be able to look to his best friend as his girlfriend and flirtatiously ask her for a pair of knickers for luck without fearing her reaction to his gestures. Ideally, she would tell him that she loved him the same way that he loves her. Alas, reality is rarely ever ideal.

Suspecting where he might find Sirius' lucky shirt, Remus steps forward, "At a boy. Now, let's go to breakfast, shall we?"

ANGIE AWOKE FROM her slumber peacefully without the threat of cold water or her blankets being stripped away. Slowly sitting up and stretching, Angie peeks out the curtains only to come across an empty room. Surprised at the prospect of not having to wait for the bathroom, Angie glances at the clock only to realize that it is 11:30 AM… And that she is still wearing Sirius' lucky shirt… And that the quidditch match starts in half an hour.

"SHIT!!" Angie yells before ungracefully throwing the tee shirt off of her and running into the bathroom to set about brushing her teeth and washing her face. Unceremoniously throwing her toothbrush into the sink, not caring that it almost landed in the toilet, Angie rushes to her bed and throws open her trunk and puts on the first two clothing items she sees: a light blue tee shirt she had since she was seven (therefore, too short and too tight) and a pair of tight jeans her cousin Katherine had bought as a joke for her to show off "what her mama gave her": her butt. Grabbing Sirius' tee shirt from her bed, Angie sprints down the stairs, careful not to trip over the first years, but not nearly polite enough not to cuss them out.

Dashing through the halls at speeds unknown to her, Angie whips by various members of the staff and faculty, ignoring each of them as they yell for her to slow down and threaten to issue her a detention. Finally making it to the south exit, Angie throws open the door with all the force she could muster while maintaining her speed, accidentally smacking them against the walls. Continuing to defy her muscles' calls for her to slow down and, ideally stop, she races down the sloping lawns, pushing herself to run faster as the locker rooms loom further up ahead.

Finally reaching the door, Angie throws herself against the door and inelegantly lands on the floor of the Gryffindor locker room. On the floor and panting for breath, Angie opens an eye to see feet in front of her. Slowly glancing upwards, Angie notices that they belong to the glorious team captain. "You're not the one I ran here to see," she mumbles intelligently.

Slowly, Angie manages to pull herself into an upright position and focuses her attention to the back of the room on the boy still rummaging through his locker. "Looking for this?" She asks, holding up the tee shirt.

At a first glance, there is nothing special about the white tee shirt. With a solid white front, it appears to be nothing more than a generic white tee shirt. On the back, however, there is a picture of Angie and Sirius silk screened onto it. They are approximately fourteen years old, making the silliest face they could muster during a wedding ceremony. Angie had given it to him for his fifteenth birthday.

"You had it?! When'd you take it?" He asks her, obviously relieved to have it back. "I was looking all over for it."

"I took a while ago… Maybe two months ago?" She says as she watches him pull off his jersey and slip on the tee shirt, then the jersey.

"It smells like you." He blushes. He cannot believe he said that. Wasn't he supposed to be working on_ not_ scaring her off?

Angie freezes before the color rushes to her cheeks, "Er, yeah… I kinda slept in it for a while now. I meant to put it back in your room before you woke up though."

"I hate to break this up," James cuts in, "But you're not supposed to be back here right now, Angie. Please leave."

"Hey Angie, how about a kiss for luck?" Sirius calls, instantly regretting it. He had gone too far.

Angie stops her trek to the door and turns, "Yeah, sure. Why not?" She says as she makes her way towards him. Softly, she places her hands on his shoulders and props herself up, giving him a peck on the cheek before making her way to the door once more. This time, she leaves a bashful Sirius in her wake, rubbing the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him.

IN THE STANDS, Angie sits beside a fuming Lily who is clearly unhappy with her predicament. "Tell me again why we're here, Angie." Lily demands.

"Why? You were already here when I got here." Angie answers as she watches the match before her. The Slytherin currently have the quaffle and one of their chasers are heading toward the goal as their beaters continuously try to hit Henry, the Gryffindor seeker, off his broom. It would seem that Sirius' lack of focus during the practice has helped Henry to dodge them effortlessly while searching for the snitch. As for Sirius himself, he was currently in an airborne tennis match, volleying bludger after bludger at the Slytherin team members who were just as impeccably guarded by their beaters as the Gryffindors were. The score, as it was, currently stood at 90-60 Gryffindor.

"Yeah, but I was only here because I though that you would be here." Lily defends herself.

"But we usually sit in the middle, among the crowd where 'Potter won't be able to see us'. But today, here we are in the front row, wide open for viewing."

"Oh, shut up."

"My tee shirt is way too small."

Lily laughs, "Where did that come from? And why did you wear it then?"

"My arms are cold and then I realized that a part of my midriff is too… And it was the first thing I saw in my trunk that wasn't a book or potion ingredient."

"Uh huh," Lily mumbles quietly, "Of course it was."

Before Angie could retort, the Gryffindor supporters erupt in cheer as James scores another goal.

"Woohoo! Go James!" Lily yells out enthusiastically.

Angie raises an eyebrow, "So it's _James_ now is it?"

Lily blushes profusely, "What are you talking about? I never called him 'James'. I clearly said 'Potter'."

"Oh really now? Because I'm sure Mary would back me up on that little slip of yours…"

"Angie, if you really are my friend, you will drop this and not repeat it to him."

HOVERING SEVERAL FEET above the ground, Sirius is beginning to put his feelings on the back burner as he continuously attempts to smash the bludgers into Crassus' lean seeker body. In fact, Sirius is beginning to see the irony that is held within Maximillian Crassus, the Slytherin seeker. The seeker, unlike the man that once led the Roman Republic's army, is a snobby yet submissive docile boy, not the commanding and imposing general was. 'It must be the effect of centuries of inbreeding,' Sirius thought lewdly as he sent another bludger in his direction.

As Sirius contemplated Crassus' contradictory nature, the noise level in the stands increased tenfold. Not taking his eye off the Slytherin target that that just jetted off in the direction of his own seeker, Sirius noticed that Henry is in a steep dive, headed for the ground, a small fleck of gold less than an inch away from his fingertips. He would say that Crassus had a chance of catching up had he not been six feet behind Henry.

As Henry's fingers finally managed to close around the usually elusive golden ball, he could feel the happiness rise within. They had won! It was almost perfect. Now that the game had ended, the feelings that he had managed to push to the back of his mind resurfaced and he could not help but think that if he had Angie to kiss and hold everything would have been perfect. Sighing, he settles for almost perfect instead.

"SIRIUS! YOU GUYS won! I'm so proud of you!" Angie yells as she runs up to him on the pitch.

He cannot help but don his ten thousand megawatt smile at her. He sees her getting closer and closer without slowing down. He braces himself for her impending leap into his arms. If before was 'almost perfect', now was definitely 'a hairbreadth away from perfect'. He drops his broom a moment before she leaps at him, and spins in circles, her legs in the air spinning behind her. When he stops, as if by reflex, her legs wrap themselves around his waist as she continues to cling to him.

He does not get his hopes up in thinking that she has changed her mind; she has done this after every game that they have played. Of course, this does not stop him from enjoying her proximity to him, something that he has been missing ever since that morning of his seventeenth birthday. Perhaps that is his reason for smiling so broadly at her.

"Of course we won, Angie! _James_ and _I_ were playing. Honestly, you'd think that after five years of leading the team to victory, you'd have gotten that by now." Sirius replies smugly, "You are coming to celebrate with us, right?"

"Would I miss watching Lily get ploughed enough to almost admit to her feelings for James again?" Angie asks.

"Good point. And what are you wearing? Didn't I get you that tee shirt when I went on vacation with my parents in France nine years ago?"

IN FACT, LILY did drunkenly admit to having feelings for James after entering, and losing, a shot race with Angie. While the Gryffindors angrily woke the next day to the abrasive sunlight streaming in through the windows,

Angie turned over and snuggled in more closely into what she believed to be the back of the couch. It startled her when she realized that it was breathing, forcing her to come to and realize that the 'back of the couch' was in fact Sirius' chest. Quietly and deftly, Angie slowly removes herself from his embrace, clearly missing the feeling of being held by him.

Maybe she was wrong to deny him and herself the happiness and satisfaction of being together? She shakes her head as she makes her way to the staircase. No, this is definitely for their benefit. She knows for certain she would crumble without him, and if what he said is true, he would do the same without her.

She silently snickers to herself as she sees Lily snuggle up to James and murmur something endearing in her sleep before heading up the staircase. There is much studying to be done as the exam period start on Monday.

THE TRAIN RIDE home is long and somewhat satisfying. After a year of hard work and lots of effort, the student population is finally able to relax and unwind before doing it all again next September.

Compartment 4042 contains a peculiar sight. The compartment that usually housed the Marauders only now contained two girls as well, although one of them glared mutinously at the other.

"I can't believe you dragged me in here, Angie," Lily hisses under her breath, arms folded over her chest and slouching as if trying to shrink out of existence.

"Relax, Lily," Angie says from her seat between Remus and Peter, "Everyone in here has already heard of your confession for dear James."

Sirius, Remus, and Peter snicker as James' eyes pop open in surprise, "What did she say? Why don't I remember this?"

As Angie opens her mouth to enlighten James, Lily kicks her in the shin, "Shut up! I don't recall saying any such thing!"

The three boys continue to laugh as James begs someone to tell him while Angie shrugs sympathetically. After a more laughing and story telling, Sirius rises from his seat and asks for a private audience with Angie in the corridor. Removing herself from between the two boys, Angie follows him into the empty hallway.

"Listen, I don't mean to push you into anything or put you in a difficult spot but I got a flat in London this summer and it's kind of big. I was wondering if you'd like to move in with me." Sirius exhales, patiently waiting for her reply.

The request catches her off guard. Move in with him? Alone in a flat with the man who tempts her so much? How would she keep her resolve? She blinks a couple times and stammers, "You- you're kidding, right?"

He chuckles softly, mostly to himself out of nervousness, "No. Uncle Alfred left me a chunk of gold when he passed and I figured that since I ran away from home last summer, maybe I ought to get a place of my own since I can't continue to mooch off the Potters."

'That makes sense,' Angie thinks to herself, "Um, I'd love to but I promised my dad that I wouldn't go anywhere until school was done. So, maybe if you're still looking next summer, I'll take you up on that offer, yeah?"

He forces himself to smile. There is no way he'd pass that room to anyone while they were still friends. Maybe he'll give it to one of the guys, but that is only if he's with Angie by then. After all, if he were with her, why would he force her to keep away from him?

**A.N: Oh my fecking god! I finally finished this! I can't believe it! I was originally going to cut this chapter out and move straight ahead with mashing three chapter into one but I thought about it and realized that while this is supposed to be a humor fic, there's FAR TOO MUCH DRAMA in it. I apologize profusely for that. And I know I last updated seven (almost eight) months ago but what can I say? My life picked up dramatically. And my laptop crashed several times. And I can honestly say that there are two more (if they remain two and not get smashed into the same chapter that is) until big things happen.**

**And yeah, maybe the next one will come fairly soon since it's summer vacation for me (in April?! What is this?!) and the wether's pretty crappy and I have no job... Like usual though, I make no promises.**

**So, drop me a line and tell me what you think, k? I miss having reviews.**


	16. Shine Up The Old Brown Shoes

Chapter 16: Shine Up The Old Brown Shoes

_I'll shine up the old brown shoes, put on a brand-new shirt.  
I'll get home early from work if you say that you love me._

_- I Want You To Want Me, Cheap Trick_

THE SUN RAYS that have infiltrated the room through billowing curtains light the back of her eyelids a fiery red. The network of arteries and veins are visible as she continues to convince herself that she is still asleep. She convinces herself that the birds chirping outside her window are exactly the same as the ones in her dream of being Snow White. The smell of sausages and eggs wafting into her room is the same as that in her dream, the same breakfast that the seven dwarves are making her. They have successfully convinced her to sit down and take a break for once. It is their turn to treat her.

On cue, interrupting her relaxation time, two iron manacles materialize around her biceps and begin to shake her. Suddenly, as the sound of birds chirping fades to the background, a loud sound blares at her. She cannot place the sound in her semi-lucid state. As her awareness begins to increase, she begins to recognize the noise, the voice.

"Angie, time to wake up, Sleepy Head!" Katherine Bennet calls to her sleeping cousin as she attempts to sleep through this lovely June morning. A pretty girl of twenty-three years old, Katherine inherited her chestnut brown hair and bright blue eyes from her mother, Angie's maternal aunt. Continuing to lightly shake her younger cousin, Katherine intones, "You need to be awake for me to ask you something…."

"Go 'way, Katherine!" Angie grumbles from beneath the covers. It takes a while for her to realize what she has just said. Katherine sits on her bed and waits patiently for Angie's epiphany to sink in.

"Katherine? KATHERINE!" Angie throws the covers off of her as if it were inducing a terrible rash upon her and throws her arms around her cousin.

"Morning, kiddo," Katherine greets her cousin, "Sleep well?"

"I could have used a bit more sleep," Angie answers truthfully.

"Well, get up. Your mom made breakfast and I need to tell you a lot while we eat."

THE WATER THAT runs down her back is only lukewarm. A fleeting thought enters her mind, a thought of how the end of the semester came to a close. She had witnessed James lead the Gryffindor team to victory over the Slytherins in the final Quidditch match, but lost the House Cup due to a couple of really bad detentions on the Marauders' behalf. She had managed to patch things over with Sirius so that they would no longer be on awkward terms. She had wished Lily luck with Petunia and her boyfriend Vernon. Truth be told, the end of term was not as dreadful as she thought it would have been.

Sirius… Yes, almost four months after he dropped the bomb on her, she still had not mustered up the courage to indulge her heart and be with him. Even though the mere thought of him continues to make her heart sing a thousand different songs all at once, her mind still blares the shrill overtones of the danger bell. Why could she just not get over her feelings for him and continue to function normally? Why did the fact that he shared the same feelings for her give rise to not force her to jump him and place sloppy kisses all over him like she did in her fantasies, dreams, and hallucinations? What was wrong with her?

"SO, LIKE I said," Katherine said upon her arrival before the sound of a loud crack interrupts the occupants of the kitchen from the vicinity of the living room.

"What the-" Angie began before opening the living room door, "Sirius!" She ran towards him in the middle of the room. "What are you doing here?" She asked as she hugged him.

"I decided to see what my beautiful best friend has planned for today and, if she did have plans, to persuade her to ditch them and spend the day with me instead. I miss her, you know," Sirius answers her; "Do you know where I can find her?" He jokes but it is not the manner in which she chooses to interpret it.

"Do you mean to say that we aren't best friends anymore?" She asks him, pretending to be hurt that he would reject her so easily for ignoring his feelings for her (and her own for him).

"Angie, I'm kidding. I came here looking for you," He consoles her, smiling his ten-thousand megawatt smile.

"She's busy today," Katherine answers before she can.

Angie and Sirius look up at her, completely confused.

"What are you talking about, Katherine?" Angie asks her.

"Well, I tried to tell you before he apparated in here. Angie, I'm getting married in a month. I came here this morning to talk to Auntie Phoebe about having the wedding at the Elmstad and to ask you to be my maid of honor." Katherine explains.

Being an old and wealthy family, the Benson family, and the Montgomerys, had plenty of property around the globe.  Their main residence, the London Estate was one of two properties in the city, the other being an uptown loft.  Elmstad is the name of the vacation house situated between Islington and London.  There is another mansion and loft in Paris and Italy.  The fact that a small Caribbean island has been passed down from mother to daughter is not something to be over looked either as it is passed down in such a manner stems back to the days when dowries were required.  Finally, the matter of a small apartment in Montreal must also be of consideration as Richard and Phoebe Benson fell desperately in love during a trip to the small Quebecois island.

"YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED?!" Angie shrieks in surprise, "YOU want ME to be YOUR MAID OF HONOR?!" Angie is ready to explode with excitement, "OH MY GOD!" Shoving Sirius' arms off her with more zeal than she had meant to, Angie wraps Katherine in a hug as they begin to jump up and down.

"I guess that's a 'no' then," Sirius sulks to no one in particular. "I guess I'll go see what James is up to then." Once again, no one hears what he says. Turning on his heel, Sirius disapparates with a loud crack out of the house.

Angie and Katherine stop jumping immediately. "Where'd he go?" Angie asks to no one in particular.

"I don't know," Katherine answers, "He could have come with us. We're picking out food today."

"Awesome!  The sample sizes are far too small to cause any damage on my love handles."

Katherine scoffs, "What love handles?"

DAYS OF PICKING out napkins, plates, floral arrangements, place settings, cutlery, and the gift registry pass by relentlessly. A week after the news of Katherine's impending wedding, Angie finds herself in a boutique, covered in horribly scratchy and putrid shades of orangey material. Despite the lack of desks and the stern woman, Angie feels as though she is in McGonagall's transfiguration class, being transfigured into a pincushion.

_"Now class, today we will practice turning people into pincushions…"_ Angie can almost hear her say.

"Ow!" Angie jumps as the seamstress pokes another pin into her side.

"Angie, quit complaining. You look simply gorgeous in that dress!" Katherine gushes saccharinely.

"Are you kidding me? I look like a rejected peach!" Angie cries, "There's taffeta in places I wasn't even aware existed and crinoline in my knickers! There are a thousand different places where the pins have been poking relentlessly into my sides which only makes me believe even more firmly that acupuncture is a load sadistic crap and these giant Renaissance puffy sleeves are bigger than my head! I don't look gorgeous at all, Katherine; I look like a pachyderm hiding in a tent made of vomit! What did I ever do to you to deserve this?"

"Calm down," Katherine laughs, "Renatta, I think we can bring out the real dress now. I think she's had enough of this."

Renatta, the seamstress who was poised to poke a new pin into Angie's thigh, laughs and sighs before going into the back room to pick up the dress.

Realizing it was all a hoax, Angie rounds on her cousin and hisses, "I hope you end up with a pin stuck in your ass for the rest of your life."

Laughing, Renatta re-enters the room, "Your dress is in the changing room, Miss Angie."

Descending from the pedestal in front of the mirrors, Angie returns to the changing room to get out of the vile peach-colored cupcake dress only to release the loudest gasp in her life. "Katherine," she calls out, "I take it back! May your gluteus maximus never be pierced by foul objects!"

THE DAY BEFORE the wedding is a day of chaos. Katherine and Angie have gone through the list of things to be taken care of three times and are currently working on it a fourth time as they await the arrival of Katherine's friends. Tonight is the bachelorette party.

"Napkins?" Katherine asks.

"Crème colored; arrived at the house yesterday; here's the receipt." Angie answers, handing Katherine a carbon-copy paper.

"Table cloth-" The sound of the doorbell cuts her off and Angie sighs in relief. It's not as though they had missed anything. This was their _fourth_ run-through of the list!

"I'll get it!" Angie gladly jumps up from her seat and skips to Katherine's apartment door, welcoming the distraction.

"Angie!" A chipper blonde exclaims as she opens the door. Crystal, Katherine's roommate from college exclaims. Katherine had opted to go to college and earn a degree in law… In the muggle world, where she had met her fiancé and soon-to-be-husband.

"Hi Crystal!" Angie greets her, pulling her in closely before whispering, "Please save me! We've gone through the list three times already!" This is when she notices everyone else standing behind her and the relief sets in. "Hey Katherine," Angie calls back, "Everyone's here! Let's get you properly tanked!"

"SO, WHO'S YOUR date for the wedding tomorrow?" A brunette whose name Angie can't seem to remember asks her.

"I don't have a date. It's okay, though. I was planning on going stag anyway." Angie answers casually before taking a sip of her vodka-cranberry.

The brunette, who was taking a sip of her drink at the time, immediately begins to choke. "What are you talking about, going stag? Are you trying to get yourself raped by the biggest sleaze bag in history?!" She manages to get out after a loud round of coughs.

"What are you talking about?" Angie asks, certainly frightened.

"Mark, the best man, is a complete sleaze ball! He's got this 'I can do anyone I want' complex and will try to get you to sleep with him.  You **need** a date. If you aren't lucky, he'll probably throw you over his shoulder and drag you back to his place like a caveman, even if you _are_ kicking and screaming."

"Oh no! What do I do?" Angie begins to panic.

"Do you know anyone who happens to have a free day tomorrow and a tux on hand?" She asks cleverly.

THE WATER IN the pond behind the Potter's mansion had never been so warm and inviting after dark- which raises the question of the urine content. Of course, it had been occupied before as it was now with two teenage boys idly floating in it.

"Say, Sirius," James begins.

"Sirius."

"Hah, hah, hah. Wise ass." James intones dryly.

"Well, speak up."

"I need you to be my date tomorrow for Katherine's wedding." A female voice cuts in.

"Holy shit, James!" Sirius exclaims as he stops floating only to being treading water instead, "That was an awesome impression of Angie!"

"But I didn't say anything…" James trails off.

Watching the two boys continue in their aquatic activities, Angie stands akimbo at the pond's edge, waiting for them to realize she was there. Her shoulders are getting cold as the halter top does nothing to protect her arms and the shorts aren't helping her legs either.

The two boys turn around to see her standing there. Immediately, James rises from the water and says, "I'll see you back in the house, Sirius." If all goes well, Angie will have gotten over her fears of losing Sirius and finally admit to her feelings for him to him.

Noticing that Sirius is wearing an old bathing suit, Angie quickly says, "You don't have to get out of the water if you don't want to."

It is now that Sirius becomes aware of the effect he has on her and declines her offer, "Nah. Any longer and I'll be prune." He deftly wipes himself off with his towel before throwing it over a shoulder. Standing tall and looking down at her, Sirius quietly says, "So, what was it that you needed?"

She does not mean to stare but cannot help herself.  She does not recall his muscles being more than subtly sinewy.  She cannot stop herself from noticing just how much more large and powerful in appearance his biceps, pectorals, abdominals and quadriceps are.  She curses her attention span and knees for being so weak. How is it that he has that effect on her? That simply isn't right! "I uh," she mentally curses herself for stammering, "I need you to be my date tomorrow for Katherine's wedding."

"Why are you asking me now, a little over twelve hours before it?" He asks smoothly as he places a hand on her cheek. He does not intend to let her leave without shaking her up first.

Angie's jaw quivers slightly before she answers, "Well, Katherine never told me that the best man's a sleaze ball and that I'll be the only one there of age who won't be taken. I only found out about ten minutes ago when one of the girls at the bachelorette party told me about him."

He lowers his head slightly. "So, why me?"

"Because you're the only one I know who owns a muggle tux… See, Katherine's marrying a muggle."

His face continues to near hers, "And what if I have plans for tomorrow?"

"I guess I'll be sleeping with the sleaze ball then."

Subtly, a dark look of rage passes over his features.  It angers him to think of her like that with anyone else.  Despite her current refusal to allow him the chance to be with her she is still his.  In his mind, of course.  Softly, he kisses her on the forehead, "Don't worry. I'll be there." He whispers to her.

Angie lights up. She was starting to become uncomfortably aware of her attraction towards him and just how counterproductive its nature was to her 'just friends' cause. Quickly, Angie throws her arms around his neck and pecks him on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Sirius! Meet me at my house tomorrow morning at nine and we'll floo from there!" Angie turns on her heel and disapparates, leaving a very frustrated Sirius in her wake.  Why won't she just give in to him? 'On the plus side,' he thinks optimistically, 'I did get that kiss on the cheek.'

THE MORNING AFTER  a party isn't usually a pleasant one as there are typically hangovers to be had and smudgy makeup to be removed.  Sometimes, if one is lucky enough, one will either not have an alarm set for some ungodly hour of the morning or will not be obligated to do anything the next day. 

Angie Benson is no such lucky person.  She was still dressed in last night's clothing with mascara and eyeliner running down from her eyes giving her the look of a vampire which was furthered by the horrid smearing of her red lipstick to look like blood.  She was not wearing such bold and tacky makeup the night before but after she had returned from recruiting Sirius as her date for the night, Becky, the brunette whose name Angie could not remember, decided that Angie need to look a little more grown up than the sweet-faced seventeen-year-old that she really is.  To top it off, various phone numbers had been scribbled on just about every available surface in think, black, permanent marker. 

Of course, that is not where her awful luck ends.  Being heavily hung-over and thoroughly exhausted, Angie had passed out in a deep sleep and missed her eight-thirty alarm, and thus, at nine-fifteen, is still in a deep slumber.  What is about to happen next must only happen to people in ridiculous situations, written about  by people with over-zealous imaginations.

SIRIUS BLACK STEPS out of his shower at eight-thirty in the morning, completely refreshed and rejuvenated.  Having woken up at six-thirty to complete his exercise routine by eight-fifteen, the effects of the early hours of the morning had dissipated with the first fifty steps of his jog about the city.  The exercise routine is a new feature of his daily agenda that he had only managed to start after leaving the wretched clutches of Walburga Black.

Quickly, he dries himself off before walking into his room to don the tuxedo he had bought when had pretended to be James Bond for Lily's action hero themed birthday party a month ago.  He smiles as he remembers having successfully talking Angie into dressing up as Plenty O'Toole from the movie _Diamonds Are Forever_.  Gods, her cleavage was wonderful in that dress!

Willing himself to push the image from his mind and settle his thoughts to a more tame category, Sirius ties his bow tie before disapparating to Angie's house.

Arriving on the doorstep, Sirius takes the time to look over his appearance once more in the glass pane next to the door before knocking precisely three times.  After waiting for a short moment, the door opens and Mrs. Benson gives him a short hug and a light pinch on the cheek.

"Sirius!  I haven't seen you here in ages!  Where've you been?"  She asks earnestly.

"Well, since I ran away from home last August, I stayed with the Potter's until the start of term last year.  This year I moved into a flat in uptown London." 

"Good for you!  To be honest with you, I always thought your mum was a small bit of a loony, especially when it came to blood."

"I couldn't agree more with you, Mrs. Benson." Sirius laughs.  It is for a fleeting moment that Sirius thinks of Regulus and how he had abandoned him in the clutches of his mother.  He shakes his head and refocuses on his surrogate mom.

"Well, Angie's still asleep upstairs and it's nine-fifteen.  Could you be a dear and wake her up for me?" Mrs. Benson asks him, "I've not finished with making breakfast yet."

"Sure."  It is with that simple word that not all of Hell but at least a small part of it would break loose.

"ANGIE, YOUR MOM sent me up to-" Sirius calls out gently as he opens the door, stopping himself mid-sentence as he takes in the ink covering her skin, "What the hell happened to you?!"

Angie stirs from her sleep slowly, unaware that the object of her crying panties is in the room gawking at her state of dishevellement.  She slowly stretches as she turns to face him, the volume of his voice pounding like a jackhammer into skull.  "Shhhh," she commands him, "Be a dear and get me a hangover tonic from my trunk, will you?"

It is a good thing she has not opened her eyes yet as the look of horror etched into Sirius' face would have offended her so severely that he would have been curse to the sixth circle of Hell and back.  Deftly, he turns and rummages through her trunk before retrieving the requested vial.

"That tasted like ass, for the record," Angie says after downing the tonic, "What?"

Sirius is still in a state of horror as it can clearly be seen on his face.  The messy pile of hair on her head, the black circles of makeup under her eyes, and the splotchy lipstick almost convinces him it's Halloween as the black ink looks like fur.  He could swear she was dressed up as a werewolf.  He quickly restores his face to normal before he answers her, "Nothing."

"I look awful, don't I?"  Angie asked flatly.

"No, you look…  Wonderful," Sirius lies, "Just go get ready to go, it's 9:20."

Angie nods and makes the short trip from her room to the bathroom.  With a glance at herself in the mirror, Angie lets out a shrill shriek, "SIRIUS BLACK, YOU LYING SON OF A BITCH!  I LOOK LIKE HELL!"

RICHARD BENSON LAUGHS to himself as he listens to his daughter's screams at her best friend.  "Phoebe, love, do you remember when I did something like that to you?"

"Don't boast about it.  If I remember correctly, I curse your sorry ass into the hospital for that."

"I'm sorry I vowed to curse your ass into Hell, son," Richard Benson greets Sirius as he enters the kitchen.

"What?" Sirius asks, clearly unaware of the older man's violent intensions towards him.

"Nothing."

"Would you like some breakfast dear?  I know it's Angie's favorite but it's still food nonetheless."  Phoebe offers him.

"Yes, please."

AFTER HAVING CLEARED the plate that Mrs. Benson had placed in front of him, Sirius looks up as Angie enters the kitchen, dressed in a tee shirt and shorts, carrying a garment bag.  Carefully placing the bag on a chair near the fireplace, Angie sits down across from him, digging into the breakfast in front her. 

"Um, are you going to look at me at all?" Sirius asks across the table as Angie focuses on her plate.

Looking up with a stony face, Angie asks calmly, "Did you take a photograph while I was still asleep?"

"No," Sirius answers confused, "why?"

"No picture of me looking like a sleeping vampire-werewolf hybrid?"

"No," Sirius answers more confidently after having finally clued into what she was getting at, "Not all of us are evil and like to take pictures of people imitating fish."

"Sure?"

"Yes,"  he says calmly, "By the way, why was my picture on the 'Submit to Yearbook'  column of your bulletin board?"

Quickly wolfing down the remnants of her breakfast, Angie quickly looks at the time and hurriedly shouts out, "Look at the time!  We need to go!"  Quickly, Angie grabs her garment bag, Sirius' sleeve, and disapparates.

Appearing suddenly in the foyer, Angie lets go of him as she runs up the stairs.  "Take a seat in the living room or something.  I probably won't see you until the ceremony stars.

Sirius sighs: this is going to be a long day.

"THERE YOU ARE," Katherine greets her impatiently, "You were supposed to be here half an hour ago!"

Katherine makes her way over to the door in long strides clearly frantic if her appearance is anything to go by.  Her hair sports a wicked case of bed-head, the robe on her shoulders is untied, openly exposing her undergarments and her nails have yet to be treated.  The tired look on her face is amplified by the black circles under her eyes and the small bags under her eyes.  Clearly there is a bit of magical covering up to be done before the makeup and hair stylists arrive.

"Katherine, I know I'm late," Angie admits as she places the garment bag on the open closet door on the far side of the room, "But you need to relax.  The ceremony's at eleven-thirty; the other girls should be here soon enough and the hair and makeup ladies will all be here shortly after that.  So, if you don't want to expose your magical self in front of everyone, I suggest you sit down and let me wave my wand at your face a couple times, ok?"

Katherine sighs loudly before plopping herself onto the chair in front of the vanity.  "Let's get one thing sorted, yeah?"

Angie stands before her, wand aimed at Katherine's right eye, "Yeah?"

"I won't look like your version of the Venus de Milo, yeah?"

"Shut up and let me work."

SIRIUS SITS PATIENTLY, hoping that Angie will finish with Katherine a bit early so he could see her for a short period of time before the ceremony.  He knows that he looks more than just good in his tux but he has yet to hear it from her.  Her lack of compliment today slightly irks him as the last time he had worn it she had not only blushed but told him that he looked "ravishing".  Her word exactly. 

"Hello dearie," Grandma Benson says as she sits in the remaining vacant seat on the loveseat, "I didn't know you were coming.  I'm surprised Phoebe didn't tell me."

The comment throws Sirius off.  Why would Mrs. Benson tell Grandma Benson about his presence at a wedding.  Sure, he is Angie's best friend but would it really matter to her whether he showed up or not?

"It was a last minute sort of thing," he answers her casually, pretending as though her remark had not startled him at all, "I'm here as Angie's date."

Grandma Benson frowns slightly, "Of course you would want a young thing like Angie," she dramatizes as she casts her eyes towards the ceiling, "She's young, beautiful, and a lot of fun.  Oh well, you can't blame an old bat like me for trying."

Sirius' jaw drops as he is clearly gob smacked by the senior woman.  Did he miss something?  Were she and Grandpa Benson having issues? Where _is_ Grandpa Benson anyway? "Er…" He stammers but is saved by the very person who put him into the situation to begin with.

"Don't worry, dearie," Grandma Benson sooths, "I'm just having a little bit of fun.  Grandpa Benson's in the bathroom at the moment, the ceremony's set to begin in five minutes, and there's no way we could accomplish what I'm thinking of in such a short period of time anyway."

The wink that Grandma Benson throws in at the end scares him even more as the prospect of what exactly the old bird is thinking of creeps into his mind.  Automatically, the panic bells sound and the guilt of possibly cheating on Angie blazes throughout his body like a forest fire on a dry, hot day.  No, he was not saved.  In fact, he was ready to choke on his saliva when Grandpa Benson emerged from the bathroom.  He faintly hears Grandma Benson mutter, "Phooey!" under her breath as her spouse slowly inches towards them.

"Estelle, what're you still doing out here, harassing the poor boy for?" He demands through wheezy voice in which the tongue moves faster than the lips.  He turns to Sirius and asks, "She hasn't tried to shorten your lifespan with the thought of a quickie in a closet somewhere, has she?"

"Erm, perhaps we should go take a seat then?" Sirius suggests ashen faced.

THE CEREMONY PASSES without a hitch…  If one overlooks the brief moment where the best man almost launched himself into the altar in an attempt to get a look at the maid of honor.  Right after the minister had decided that the moment before the point of no return was over, Mark, the best man, tripped over his own foot as he tried to peer around Christopher, the groom, to get a glimpse of Angie.  The attempt, however, was a failure and only led to his embarrassment.

As the bride and groom move from the backyard into the ballroom of the house, Sirius makes his way over to Angie, on whom he had his eye on the whole time despite keeping an eye on Grandma Benson and her mischievous advances on him.  He pulls her into a hug from behind as she talks with her parents.  "Richard, Phoebe, would you mind if I stole your daughter for a moment?  I have something I need to discuss with her."

"Go ahead, Sirius.  You're sitting at our table while Angie takes her seat with the wedding party. I can grill you then," Richard jokes as he waves them away.

Angie and Sirius walk to a secluded area of the garden approximately midway between the ceremony area and the house.  The area is quiet as the guests have moved southwards while they went north.  "Listen," Sirius begins, "I've been thinking about this during the whole ceremony and the only way that anyone will believe that we are more than friends is if we pretend to be a real couple."

"No kidding, genius," Angie mocks him, "What made you think otherwise?"

Sirius sighs, "That's not what I meant.  I meant that you need to be a little more affectionate, possibly a bit closer than you usually are with me.  I know you think it'll be overstepping the friendship boundary but if you really want this bloke to think otherwise, you'll have to play the part."

Angie sighs.  She did not think it through last night right before she apparated over to the Potters' in search of her best friend.  Of course she wouldn't have problems with it had she asked James or Remus because they didn't come with a warehouse full of history and a suitcase full of friendship-damaging feelings.  No, she didn't think that she could be stepping out of her comfort zone to escape the dangerous clutches of one of the most stuck up men on the planet.  "Yeah, ok."

"Good," he answers, "You look…  Simply divine, absolutely shagable."

"Do I now?"  she asks him before returning the comment, "I wouldn't kick you out of bed either."

"And yet you always do…"

THE RECEPTION IS in full swing as dinner, cake and dessert, and the first dance were all done.  There is one of the many open bars outside in the garden serving everyone drinks, alcoholic or virgin.  This is where Angie and Sirius have set up camp, drinking drink after drink, telling jokes and anecdotes, laughing raucously.

"-Well, James decided to brag about these 'wonderful' boxers he got just off of Diagon Alley because that's what seven beers will do for him and so he decides that he has to show us quickly while you girls were not in the room.  So in walks Lily to find him with is pants around his ankles and the guys and I are pissing ourselves laughing because he forgot that he didn't wear any boxers that day!"  Sirius barks with laughter as Angie realizes just why exactly was James Potter thrown out of Lily's birthday party.

No, Lily did not personally invite James to her birthday party.  In fact, Angie had tried to beg and grovel for Lily to invite him only to be met with a stone faced Lily threatening her with being taken off the guest list as well regardless of the fact that they were best friends.  In the end, Angie and Sirius had shown up at James' house, thrown Superman costume at him, and had brought him with them to Lily's house later that afternoon.  Lily's mother had answered the door and had graciously welcomed them into the house, unaware that there was a party crasher among them.

Angie bursts into a fresh round of laughter, almost spraying her drink all over Sirius.  She does not notice as a tall, intimidating figure approaches her from behind.  The tap on her shoulder captures her attention and she is still smiling as she turns around.  As she notices who it is, the smile falls from her face: Mark, the best man.

It comes as a surprise that someone so arrogant could be so… Handsome.  That is the only way that Angie could manage to describe the six-feet-two-inches tall blond haired man with what could be warm brown eyes, pearly white teeth and a square jaw.  His shoulders are almost as wide as Sirius' and fills the tux that he is wearing quite nicely.  It is now that Angie wonders why exactly all the other girls hate him so much.

"It's time for you to ditch this loser and come home with me," he states with a tone of authority.

Ah, that's why.  "Excuse me?" Angie snaps, the alcohol doing nothing to quell her temper.  **No one** made un of her best friend but her.

"You heard me.  It's getting late, I'm looking for some fun tonight (if you know what I mean), you're fucking hot, and I'm the best man so that means that I get the pick of the crowd," he smirks, "So get up.  We're leaving now."

"Over my dead body," Angie snaps, "There's no way in Hell I'm going home with you.  Now, if you'll excuse me I was having a very nice time with my date."  The last part she may have slurred a little but she's not too sure if either of the men around her have heard it.

Disregarding any of what Angie said, Mark attempts to lift her from her seat, ignoring her shrieks.  Sirius rises to shove Mark away from Angie before shouting, "What the Hell do you think you're doing?!"

Mark straightens himself up and snarls, "What does it look like?  I'm taking what I'm entitled to home with me."

Sirius positions himself between Angie and Mark, growling, "You'll have to get through me to get her.  She clearly doesn't want to go home with you."

"That can be arranged," Mark continues to snarl, this time sucker punching Sirius in the left eye.

Angie shrieks as Mark's fist connects with Sirius' face and does not stop shrieking afterwards as Sirius lunges at Mark and punches him in the gut.  She yells for them to stop, hoping she won't have to fix Sirius up too much after they finish their fight.  The sickening sound of crunching bones grabs her attention as she sees that both men have managed to break the other's nose.

It is now that Christopher comes outside and manages to separate the two men.  "What is going on here?" He bellows, standing between the two fighters.

"He won't let me take her home," Mark whines, "I'm the best man!  I get the first pick and I chose her!"

"She's my date!" Sirius growls.

Christopher lets out an exasperated sigh as he turns to Angie, "Is that true?"  Angie nods in the affirmative. "Mark, how many times have we been through this?  That rule only works if one, she wants you too-"

Mark scoffs, "Who wouldn't want me?"

"-, and two, if she doesn't already have someone.  Leave her alone, will you?"

Sirius smirks a triumphant smirk as he turns to Angie, "Let's get out of here, shall we?"

"Sure."

"Come, I want to show you something," As a second though, he turns to Christopher, "Sorry about that, mate.  Tell Katherine we're terribly sorry we left without saying goodbye but do pass on our sincerest wishes of luck and joy for you, yeah?"

As they walk to a more remote and secluded area of the garden, Christopher calls after him, "You might want to get cleaned up first!"

WITH A LOUD pop, Angie and Sirius apparate into Sirius' dark flat.  Casually flicking his wand, the lights come on and Angie lets out a gasp.  "This is your flat?"

Sirius nods.  Angie suddenly notices the blood flowing freely from his nose and gasps again before pulling his wand out from his pocket.  "Sit down," she commands as she walks a very crooked path to the kitchen sink to dampen a paper towel.

She sits next to him on the couch as she dabs his face with the wet cloth.  Deciding that leaning outwards would require too much balance and coordination on her part, she straddles his lap once more, an action she had executed a little over a year ago.  This time, however, his hands seemed to fasten themselves to the sides of her hips, dangerously close to her butt.  Since she is drunk, however, the action does not make her blush, nor does it flare up her temper.  In fact, she does not notice at all as she cleans the blood off his face.

After tapping his nose with his wand, Sirius pulls her into a tight hug and murmurs, "I don't know what I'd do without you, beautiful."  His breath catches in his throat as he waits for her to pull up from him and berate him for breaching the limitations of friendship.  After what feels like forever waiting for her, he pulls back slightly and notices that she had actually passed out against him.

Ever the gentleman, Sirius lifts himself from the couch with her still on top of him and carries her to the bedroom.  As light as she is, he still finds himself struggling with her at what feels like almost double her weight.  He curses the phenomena of deadweight as he manages to secure her in one arm in order to free the other to pull back the covers.  He sets her down on the mattress and moves to her feet to take off her shoes. 

Victorious in that mission, he moves to next: removing the dress.  Hands frozen above her shoulders, he wonders whether it would be appropriate for him to undress her. 'But,' a voice in his mind points out, 'It can't be all that comfortable sleeping in that dress.'  Nodding silently to himself, Sirius pushes the straps of her dress off her shoulders and down her arms slowly, as if unwrapping a delicate package.  The top of dress comes off without a fight, the resistance kicking in around her hips.  He ignores the fact that once again, there is no bra covering her.  He moves his hands to her sides, looking for a zipper.  Finding it on the left side, he unzips the dress and continues to remove it from her.   He knows her lack of underwear shouldn't surprise him since there was no back to her dress, exposing her back all the way to her bum, but it surprises him to find her most intimate part displayed before him.

Quickly, the memories of his previous dreams flash before his eyes, each one of he and Angie committing the same unmentionable act in many different places and positions.  They are the images that he has only managed to dream about, not fulfill.  He stifles a groan as the dress finally slides off her legs.  Magically, it soars onto a discarded hanger on the floor before resting atop his closet.  He covers her before discarding his own clothes and going into the bathroom to take care of an obvious problem.

As he moves into the washroom, he prays that she will give him a chance before he explodes, unaware of how soon exactly that just may be.

**A.N: I'm terribly sorry I took so long with this (and that they STILL aren't together yet BUT I promise that it's coming soon).  I'm not even sure if I have any excuses for this.  It was just a terribly constipated chapter for me to write.  No, I didn't defecate on the keyboard.  **

**I think a small part of it may be that the response to the last chapter was minimal, as positive as it was.  I know I've always maintained that before you can write for anyone else, you have to write for yourself first.  However, I've envisioned multiple courses for this story to follow.  I know how it'll end but I don't know which path it'll take to get there.  I wish I had the patience to write my thoughts down, to stay with what I've originally thought of (if I had stuck to my original plan they'd have gotten together as early as after the New Year's ball) but I suppose that is the downfall of not being able to make up your mind.**

**Fear not, though, as I've had the next chapter written a long time ago (last summer to be exact).  I'm just going through it, making sure it flows, and debating whether or not I rework the ending of it a bit.  I'm currently stuck on the issue of whether or not I make it "earn its M rating" or if I keep it where it is.  If I spice it up, I'll let you know at the beginning of the chapter.  Regardless of whether or not I do, I must point out though that if you're reading this, you should be mature enough to handle it, right?**

**Anyway, I think that's a dastardly long note so I'll leave you here.  Please, do me a favor and leave me a review to let me know what your opinions are.  Be as crude as you want to, if that's your style.  I'm a big girl.  I know how to handle it.**


	17. My Feelings Are True

Chapter 17: My Feelings Are True

_I've been with you such a long time  
You're my sunshine  
And I want you to know  
That my feelings are true  
I really love you_

_- You're My best Friend, Queen_

MANY WOMEN FIND themselves in a situation where they wake up not knowing where they are anymore. Whether the room was spinning last night or their reticular activating system was pushed beyond its limits is a factor left to circumstance. Nevertheless, memories of the previous night are vague, choppy, or missing. There are several times in a person's life that one wishes this was not an effect of heavy drinking the night before. And hangovers. Hangovers could be done without.

The morning light in Sirius' room is filtered by sheer curtains and the bed is still occupied by a single occupant. The window is open, allowing a fresh summer breeze to push the curtains back slightly, to flit across the skin of the sleeping girl. Outside the birds chirp: a sense of Disney's _Snow White_ fills the room.

The girl quietly uncurls herself and stretches out as she wipes the sleep from her eyes. She opens her eyes expecting to find the familiar setting of her bedroom only to lay her eyes upon sleek, black furnishings, pictures of herself and Sirius, and her dress hung on the door of the closet in the corner next to the window. She silently panics as this is certainly a far cry from her room.

She looks in front of her and notices that the room, although it is not her own, contains familiarity. The chest of drawers in front of her contains has a single picture of Angie and Sirius: it was taken early last summer at a muggle amusement park, bought from the camera booth of a rollercoaster. They had just come down the steep drop and Sirius struck a pose with his fingers pulling his mouth open, tongue sticking out and cross-eyed as Angie clung to him for dear life. It occurs to her then and there, sitting up and stark naked, that she is in Sirius' room.

A new sort of panic fills her: what is she doing here? Why is she naked? Where is Sirius? Did they have sex this time? She gets up, bringing the red silk bed sheet with her, covering her. She sees the dress she wore yesterday. She has neither eaten nor brushed her teeth yet and decides to, instead, borrow a shirt of Sirius'. It is too large and covers her all the way to her mid thighs.

She exits the room, expecting to see Sirius in the kitchen making breakfast. To her astonishment, there is no one there. She turns and sees that the bathroom door is still open and the lights are off. He is not there either. She looks to the living room and does not see him there either.

Something in the living room catches her eye: an array of books, some of them open, some of them with odd bits of parchment sticking out of them. She quietly makes her way to the stack and reads the titles of the closed, stacked books. She duly notes that they are history books, most of them on Ancient Greece. An open one catches her eye. She turns it over and reads the title aloud, "The Greeks, by H. D. F. Kitto," she pauses. "Interesting…." She gently lowers herself to the armchair and begins to read where the book is left open.

SIRIUS CONTINUES TO run, even as the sweat drips from his forehead into his eyes. He ignores the salty fluid obscuring his vision… He'd wiped his forehead as soon as he reached the corner. It has been two months since he decided that his physical endurance is just as important as his magical abilities if he is to become an auror. He had also decided that he is going to need to learn how to fight without a wand as well.

Sirius runs up to the corner and begins to jog on spot as he wipes his face with the bottom of his tee shirt. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see a couple of women at a café staring at him, appreciating the sight of his body. He smirks to himself but decides to do nothing about it: there is a girl at home in his bed, naked, possibly still asleep, that he has had his eye on, approximately, since the beginning of his sixth year at Hogwarts.

As he runs down the street, he comes to an intersection, jogs on spot once more as he looks both ways before crossing the street and entering the park. He runs around it once, twice, three times before finding his spot behind the steepest hill and flinging himself to the grass. He uses his arms to pull himself up the hill, coming to the top to do a couple hundred push ups, sit ups, and crunches before rolling over onto his stomach once more and going down the hill on his arms again.

He gets up and begins to run around the park once, twice, three times before leaving and running back home. All morning, since he left the apartment at six, he has been avoiding thinking about a certain girl and how the early morning light danced across the curve of her waist, pressed against him, curled in his arms, sleeping happily, arms somehow strategically placed over certain areas. The look of peace and happiness that graced her in her sleep is also something he has been avoiding. Taking up training was one of the best things he could have done for himself. How else was he supposed to keep is libido in check if that girl is never going to wear many, if any, clothes around him?

HALF AN HOUR after Angie wakes up, Sirius opens the door to his apartment, bee-lining for the bedroom to check up on Angie. The lack of sound in the apartment leads him to believe the girl is still asleep. He sheds his sweat-drenched tee shirt on the floor as he makes his way to his room. He does not see the girl in the corner look up from his book and stare at him.

He enters his room and discards his shoes, socks, shirt, and track pants. He is now stark naked and does not see a girl in his bed. He sees a vacant bed and curtains billowing in the wind. He exits the room and looks around the corner to the bathroom. She is not in there either. He steps into the living room and sees her there, staring at him. He has forgotten his current state of undress.

Angie stares at him, admiring the muscles rippling under his skin glistening with sweat, standing there like a wet statue. She lets her eyes subtly eye drift lower until it rests upon his 'miniature marauder'. Of all those times she had woken up with him, she had never really gotten a good look at what every girl in Hogwarts seems to gush about. She cannot help but think, 'But it's not **that** huge…" She blushes slightly and continues to examine him. His legs look strong and powerful, thick with muscle that could lift her without breaking a sweat.

"Hey, there. When did you wake up?"

His question snaps her out of her examination state and her face reddens further as she struggles to keep her eyes on his face. "Uh…" She stammers. She can't believe she stammered. So what if he was ripped and naked! He is still her best friend! "Half an hour ago, I think. When'd you leave?"

"Six."

Angie nods and mentally collects herself. "So, I didn't know you were a Greek mythology geek."

It is Sirius' turn to blush. He looks down to the floor only to come upon his 'miniature marauder' flopped casually in the open. It is now that he realizes why Angie was blushing so much. He, as inconspicuously as possible, slides his hands in front of himself and says, "Well, now you know my dirty little secret. Now, if you'll excuse me. I desperately need a shower for I stink."

Angie smiles and nods, glad to be spared staring at his penis much longer. Instead, the beautiful sight that is his bum graces her vision and she can feel herself agreeing with her thoughts. The moment the bathroom door closes, she bolts from her seat and seeks a Kleenex box.

SIRIUS ENTERS THE washroom, naked and ashamed. She has seen him in all of his glory, lower appendage and all. She knows he has feelings for her. She- 'Oh gods, what if she thinks I'm a pervert now!' He mentally smacks himself. He had not anticipated her sitting in the corner as he made his way to the washroom. He had seen her naked before and yet she never said much of anything… In fact, she pretended like it never happened to begin with. If she could do it, why can't he?

What if it drives her away? His nakedness is not something he planned to bestow upon her anytime before he reached "the moment" with her. Does he still have a chance of getting to that moment anymore? Does he still have the chance to show her how much he loves her, how much she means to him, to mark her as his own?

What if the sight of his most private part disgusted her? 'I mean,' he thinks, 'it's not even all that attractive! I don't know why girls are so fond of penises… They're hideous!' He wonders if she follows his line of thought where his member is concerned. He looks down at himself and resolves to think positively about it, 'Well, it's not deformed or diseased in any way…'

He smacks his head against the wall. He has screwed up and her presence (or lack thereof) when he gets out of the shower will be the ultimate marker of the strength of their bond.

SHE CAN'T TAKE it anymore. She can't take hiding her emotions anymore. She needs to come clean. She wants to tell him when he gets out of the shower. She needs to tell him as soon as possible.

What will he think of her? What will he say when she changes her mind after she clearly sees him naked for the first time? Will he think she is shallow? Will he be disgusted by that? She is not shallow. She has known ever since they were young that they were meant for greater things, even if she denied themselves that opportunity previously. She has known ever since they were young that he is kind, caring, funny, and everything a girl is supposed to look for in a in a potential lover. Would it be so bad as to say that he is absolutely perfect in every manner of his being?

The sound of the shower being turned off snaps her from her reverie. The moment of judgment is upon her, upon them. She panics. What if he doesn't want her? What if he had moved on and hadn't had the chance to tell her? The bathroom door opens and she hears his footsteps coming towards her. What if-

"Angie, are you ok?" He asks her, noticing that her face had become pale in her internal panic.

"I need to tell you something Sirius," she starts, "But first, I need to know something."

"Okay…" He won't tell her that he is worried about what she'll say next.

"I need to know if you have moved on to someone else."

He lets out a breath he did not know he had been holding, "No. Why?"

She lets out a sigh of relief, "Because, I can't be friends with you anymore."

His face is crestfallen. He has stopped breathing. His mind panics and tells himself what he had feared in the shower. She thinks he's a perverted exhibitionist from his previous show and it doesn't help that he's standing in front of her, clad in only a towel! She is going to tell him she does not want to see him ever again. She wants to-

"Sirius, I can't be friends with you because it hurts too much. It hurts too much to stay friends with someone as perfect as you. I know I said 'not yet' but who am I trying to fool? I mentally beat myself up for denying you those few months ago. Sirius," she reaches up to him, places her hand on his cheek, catching him off guard, "I can't deny my feelings anymore. I want to be more than just friends with you. I want you."

He has stopped breathing for far too long. He looks at her, unsure of what to do next. Having deprived himself for too long of oxygen, he struggles for air.

"Breathe, Sirius, breathe. Breathe for me?" She begs him.

He looks at her, heaving. She smiles at him, shyly, unsure of what he is about to say or do next.

"Say something for me, Sirius?" She is becoming insecure. She looks anywhere but at his eyes.

Unable to find the words to express his joy, he places his arms around her waist and pulls hers to him, capturing her lips in a deep and passionate kiss. His eyes are closed, his body tingling in delight. A moment of happiness captures him, washes over him. He savors the taste, the feel, and the sent of her, storing it as the best moment of his life. He has been waiting to do this for so long that he is not about to let any of the details escape him.

Her eyes were wide open with shock at the first moment of contact. _Sirius Black**,**_ her best friend, the love of her life, is kissing her senseless! Her eyes flutter before closing as she responds to him, parts her mouth slightly against his, tasting him. Her knees are weak and she would have fallen had he not been holding her. Her arms snake their way around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Their height difference is a slight obstacle.

Angie pulls back slightly, gasping for air, giving Sirius the opportunity to kiss and nip at her neck. Her eyes remain shut as her right hand threads through his hair and her left trails down his torso, fully appreciating the feel of the strapping muscle beneath his smooth skin. He groans into her collar bone through his tee shirt as her pinky ever so slightly (accidentally) flicks his nipple. The sound intrigues her, makes her do it again.

He groans as arousal shoots through his body, awakening his miniature marauder, prompting his hands to slide down her back, over her bum, gripping her legs just below the hem of the shirt. He brings his hands up, dragging the shirt up her body, not stopping with it until it is removed completely.

She takes advantage of the separation between his head and her collar bone to attach her lips to his chest, keenly observing what would happen if she were to kiss and nip at his nipples. The result she receives is something prodding in her inner thigh through his towel and an impatient groan as he backs her onto the bed. He takes the time to fully observe and appreciate the sight of her body, not having to hide the fact that he was in awe of her.

She props herself up on her elbows, watching him, waiting for him to pounce on her again. She tilts her head to the side and gracefully arches an eyebrow as she notes the tent in the towel. "What are you waiting for, handsome?"

He does not hesitate further to lower himself to her feet and kiss his way up her legs, dully noting the sharper intakes of breath as he makes contact with the medial area of her legs. He kisses up her hips and stomach, not noticing that as she wraps her legs around his waist she has nudged the towel off of him, both of them equally naked. He wraps his lips around her nipple, tweaking the other with his fingers, enjoying her moaning.

Angie arches her back, forcing her chest closer to him, feeling him smirk into the soft flesh in contact with his face. She feels him move slightly, the tip of his naked miniature marauder grazing her inner thigh. She lets out a gasp that he mistakes for pain. Neither of them hears the tell tale sound of apparition.

"Angie, I'm so sorry. Look, we don't-" Sirius does not get to finish his apology.

"Sirius! Time to get up! You need to-" James Potter begins jovially, fully intending to harass his best friend for details, having not noticed the activities of the occupants of the bed. "OH MY GOD! It's still going on!"

Sirius and Angie jump together. Sirius turns around to face James as he slides a nearby pillow over to cover himself. He silently prays that James has not spotted Angie yet, has not seen only what his eyes have. He sits between Angie's legs, inconspicuously blocking her from his view.

"Jesus, James, don't you know how to knock?"

James ignores his question, "So, I see you've decided to move on. You picked her up at the reception, didn't you? God you move fast. What will Angie say about all this?"

"Well, Angie would say that it took too bloody long to get here for you to ruin it all by dropping in so unexpectedly like this," Angie smirks at the look on James' face as she sits up behind Sirius, hiding her chest by pressing herself into Sirius' back.

Angie notices the water dripping from Sirius' hair, the droplets slowly rolling down his back. "You're wet," she says with a coy smile.

He grins at her devilishly, "'I'll bet you are too."

James lets out an uncomfortable cough, "Get a room, will you?"

Sirius quirks an eyebrow at him, "Well, we're already in my bedroom… Suck it up, buttercup."

"Yeah, yeah," James grumbles, "Listen, I stopped by because not only did I want to know all about your night last night but to see if you wanted to hang out today. The three of us, I guess. Maybe four?" He sends a pleading look to Angie, clearly suggesting Lily.

Sirius lets out a frustrated sigh. James' presence in the room quickly turns him off as the feeling of the girl of his dream pushing her naked torso against his back turns him on. The forty-five degree angle of his miniature marauder annoys him as his jewels ache from the indecision. "You're making my balls hurt!"

Angie and James snicker as Sirius turns an unbecoming shade of chartreuse, covering his face with both hands.

"I have an idea, James," Angie manages between chuckles, "I have to make my way over to Lily's today because I promised that I would model the dress I wore for her and I don't plan to be the overdressed one in this outfit. Why don't you go home, throw on your best dress robes or suit, whichever one you look better in, and we'll meet you there in fifteen before we go persuade the lovely Miss Evans to join us on our extravagant day of mischief on the city?"

"Sure," James tries to avoid soiling himself with joy by quickly retreating to the living room before disapparating.

Sirius groans as he turns to face her before flopping over her thigh and burying his face in the pillow. "I can't believe I just said that," he grumbles, "Why? Why me?"

Angie chuckles, running her fingers through the long strands of his hair, attempting to calm him. "It could have been worse," she soothes, "You could have lifted the pillow for evidence."

Sirius turns his head to look at her before grunting unintelligibly.

Angie strokes his face, moving the tips of her fingers gently over his cheeks and nose, "Get up and get dressed. We'll go meet James, coerce Lily into joining us for the rest of the day and then go out for breakfast. We'll spend a swanky day in muggle London, or something, ok?"

"If it were up to me I'd have never said anything about my testicles, you and I would be shagging like rabbits, and we'd spend the whole day in bed together."

Angie blushes furiously, "Listen, about that," she begins but never gets to finish her sentence.

"I said if it were up to me," He cuts her off as he pulls himself into a sitting position, "Listen, I know that you haven't shagged anyone and that's fine by me. I've waited this long to be with you and I would never dream of screwing it up with you because of something as unimportant as sex," He lifts a hand to cup her face, "I don't care how long it takes for you to be ready for it; it's not what concerns me anyway. Just knowing that I'm with you is enough for me. If you feel that you're ready, let me know. I will wait for you as long as you want me to."

The slight angina Angie experiences in her chest along with the surge of emotions in her head both point to the same conclusion: she is desperately in love with the man sitting in front of her. She reaches up to him, placing one hand on each cheek and pulls him down to kiss him. The feelings she feels for him in that moment make her head spin and her heart palpate to a quicker rhythm.

It's not always a bad thing to wake up somewhere foreign. Sometimes, it can lead to bad things, unexpected circumstances. Sometimes, it just may be the best thing that can ever happen to a person. At least, to date it may be.

* * *

**A.N:** So I apologize for just how long a pre-written chapter took me to touch up and post. While I might be fitting into my procrastinator mold once again, it is not entirely my fault. The screen on my laptop refused to work for a week, leaving me without the visuals required to upload this chapter in which most people's frustration will be satisfied (I hope). And if the end bit was a bit too graphic (at the moment I'm inclined to say "suck it up, buttercup" but I know that will most likely result in my getting booted off the site after being on it for a little under six years (it's very sad)... Not that that was "hard work" on my part) let me know and I guess I'll cut it out... And email it to those who want it? I know you're out there :P

Anyway, please write me a review. I want to know that- while I do mostly write for myself- some people are out there who enjoy this. Honestly, if you want more, tell me so. My ideas and plots are perfectly content to stay in my head too. I just figured there might be someone else out there who wants to read it. Maybe that's too presumptuous?

By the way: I have been attempting to reply to my reviews... You know, the more substantial ones that require more than a "thanks!" or a "will do". I know, it's a cheap shot at begging for criticism.

Anyway, please review. I'm a recovering carb-a-holic and review are my virtual carbs... So satisfying without being process into glycogen. (I am an anatomy nerd, what can I say? Could you tell?)


	18. Killin' Me

Chapter 18: Killin' Me

_Tell you what I got in mind_

_Cause we're runnin out of time_

_Won't you ever set me free?_

_This waitin' round's killin' me_

- She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals

There is an appeal in something one cannot have. It is the concept of forbidden that entices, that tempts, that taunts, that makes something seem so luxurious. It's not the kill; it's the thrill of the chase.

At least, that is how it started out for James Potter when he began his pursuit of capturing Lily Evans' heart in his third year at Hogwarts. Over three years, James's focus shifted from the prestige of getting something that he could not have to actually falling in love with her. He knew, one day as he was watching from afar, that she was no longer simply an object of desire but the love of his life. Of course, it sounded corny to him as he came to his realization but it was the truth. The actions she carried out with grace, her compassion towards others- except for him, and her sense of humor had drawn him towards her, made his heart sing the pathetic tune of unrequited and unwanted love.

It certainly was not his fault that every time he laid eyes on her his brain liquefied and it certainly wasn't his fault that when he spoke to her, his instinct of exhibiting his attractive features like a show dog overcame him. In his mind, he could not help but think that if he managed to get over the constant initial shock of her beauty and keep his cool around her, she would fall for him. At the moment, though, he was still stuck trying to get past that shock.

In this constant battle of wills with Lily Evans, James Potter has proved himself to be nothing but a patient man. Some would even say that his patience had even driven him mad; after all, which bloke actually subjects himself to daily rejection for the last three (almost four) years of their life? That was a rhetorical question.

Despite his patience, however, he currently finds it near impossible to sit and wait five more nanoseconds for Angie and Sirius to apparate into his living room. For the past five minutes James has been sitting in a chair, dressed in a muggle suit that would have put James Bond to shame, trying to mess his hair up just the right way to give him the look he wanted: windswept, of course. The thought of being around Lily for approximately ten hours today was enough to drive him batty.

The characteristic cracking of apparition had him up and out of his seat in a movement that rivaled apparition. "Jeeze, what took you guys so long?" he sneers, clearly impatient to see the love of his life for the first time since she had kicked him out of her party a month ago.

"Relax, James," Angie orders, "If you'll take the time to observe the clock on the wall, we're actually five minutes early."

"But that's five minutes less than I could have had with Lily!"

Sirius shakes his head, "James, before you barged in on us this morning, Lily wasn't even an event for today. She's an added bonus that came from Angie so be grateful, you little wretch."

James scowls as Angie croons, "Aw, that's so sweet! You take my side over his."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," James interjects, "Less mushy-mushy, more seeing Lily."

THE SOUND OF the doorbell separates Lily from her breakfast before she can complete the fork's trajectory to her mouth. The speared piece of French toast on her fork remains impaled on the prongs while she runs to the door, clearly anticipating Angie's arrival.

Lily wrenches the door open in anticipation to find her best friend on the other side. The split-second change from eagerness to horrified surprise does not betray her emotions as her eyes rest on James. "What is he doing here?"

Angie sighs. She had been anticipating Lily's reaction to James' presence and had requested that he stand behind her and Sirius so that she might have the chance to placate Lily before she laid eyes on him. It seems that her efforts were in vain as Lily clearly sees James standing on the bottom stair leading to the front door. "Lil, I'll tell you only if you let him in."

"Not a chance," Lily answers, "Why are you all dressed like that anyway?" Lily had finally taken notice of the formally dressed people in front of her.

"Well, we were thinking of spending a swanky day in London, four people hanging out and having fun, dressing to match our grand personalities," Angie stops, "But it'll only be four people if you come with us..."

"Well, you go enjoy yourselves. I'm not having Flasher McFlasherson in my house ever again." Lily does not notice the hurt look on James' face.

"Forget it, Angie," James sighs, "It was a bad idea. Thank you for trying anyway." He turns around, his head hung in defeat. What was he thinking anyway? That Lily would just forgive him for all the accidents he had around her? That Lily would forget the prat that he became every time he was near her? He walks down the path dejectedly away from the house towards the end of the street, back to where they apparated.

Lily sighs, not expecting the moment that James Potter finally gave up on her to look so... _miserable._ It was supposed to be a joyous occasion with bells, whistles, and a "Hallelujah" chorus in the background. At least, that is what she thought. At the moment she could not help questioning herself. Why was she so frigid towards him anyway? Angie had explained that James' crush on her made him do the most idiotic things around her, that it wasn't his fault that he was so consumed by his feelings for her and the need to impress her all the time. Angie had told her that she had counseled James into doing more mature things, to stop playing pranks, to turn a new leaf for their seventh year. He was dressed up in a muggle suit with the light green shirt bringing out his hazel eyes and his tie begging her to- what was wrong with her?!

"James!" Lily calls from the doorstep, "James!"

James stops. Surely his ears must be deceiving him. There was no way that _Lily Evans_ of all people would _ever_ dare to venture into a first name basis with _him_. It was a matter of fact, the girl just didn't like him enough for his name to _not_ leave a bad taste in her mouth after she said it the first time, let alone the second. It suffices to say that the look of shock on his face is quite apparent as he turns around to face her. Sure enough, there she is, ready to spring out the doorframe to stop him from going any further.

"I'm sorry. I take it back," she apologizes, "I was being a bitch. Please, come in?"

He can't help but feel very skeptical of her offer, "Are you sure? You might get germs or something."

"Shut up, Potter and just get in," she snaps at him. There it is, that feeling of familiarity at their particular rhythm. He says something that he doesn't mean to be offensive and she snaps at him because in the end, despite his best efforts, it really was.

"Yes'm!" He salutes her as he strolls back up the walkway, following an amused Angie and Sirius, not noting the small peck to the temple Sirius gives Angie.

LILY'S ROOM IS decidedly too small to house two post-growth spurt teenage boys and two girls. Lily and Sirius sit on Lily's single bed while James leans against the wall next to the window, watching as Lily ogles Angie's dress. He wishes she would pay that sort of attention to him... Well, not necessarily the girly-best-friends kind of attention (he is a manly sort of man!) but the kind of attention that wasn't for enemies and nuances. He wishes he meant something to her other than someone to yell at. He wishes that one day she would wake up and realize that he was the one for her. He had already had that epiphany.

"Oh, Angie!" Lily gushes, "You look absolutely gorgeous! Spin!"

Angie sends a secretive, amused smile to Sirius before turning a full 360. He smirks back at her, admiring her butt as it comes into view.

"You know," Lily starts, "If I were Katherine, I would not let you stand next to me looking like that."

"And lucky for me, you're not Katherine," Angie laughs, "You should've seen that horrid peach outfit she had picked out as a joke for me. It was the same color as the contents of my stomach."

Lily grimaces.

"Speaking of stomach contents," Angie continues, not paying particular attention to Lily's reaction, "Mine lacks traces of any substance other than stomach acid. Lil, get dressed and we'll go out for breakfast, yeah?"

"But I am dressed!" Lily starts.

Angie, Sirius, and James quirk an eyebrow. "Oh really now?" Angie asks, ready to pounce, "You want to stroll around muggle London looking like the underdressed one in this outfit?"

Lily sighs, "But I don't wanna..."

"Tough."

"And I was eating breakfast when you got here."

"Vernon here?"

The sound of the front door closing and the false cheeriness of Mrs. Evans' voice floated up to Lily's room as if to answer Angie's question.

"Okay, so I guess I am in need of breakfast after all."

LILY HAD KICKED everyone out of her room while she dressed up in a black cocktail dress she had bought not too long after New Year's in response to her panicked state. No, the next time she received an invitation from James Potter (disguised to be from Angie, of course) to a party that she was sure would be formal, she would be prepared. She fiddles with back of her zip only to become frustrated with her lack of flexibility. Clutching the front of the dress to her chest, she opens the door and calls for Angie to assist her in her zipping venture.

"Uh, Angie and Sirius got pulled into a conversation by your mother," James informs her from his position leaning against the wall opposite Lily's door. His hands thrust in his pockets, jacket undone, tie loosened, and casual stance give James the look of the calm and effortless charmer that he really was not. Inside, James' thoughts and emotions are abuzz with thoughts of her grabbing him by the tie, dropping her dress and pulling him into her room with confessions of long suppressed love and desire for him.

"Oh," Lily whispers in a daze. In her mind she is dropping her hands from her dress and pulling James into her room, telling him that she needs him between her legs, him telling her that he loves her, and her telling him that she has been a really bad girl and that he ought to punish her.

He clears his throat rather loudly as he tries to push his thoughts away to replace them with thoughts of Snape naked or something equally as perverse... Like Lucius Malfoy and a jar of honey. Honey?! Where did _that_ come from?! 'Ew, gross,' he berrates himself mentally, "I'm never touching honey again," he swears to himself.

His statement startles her from her thoughts, "What does honey have to do with anything?" She is glad that he brought it up, glad that he shifted her attention from those extremely wayward thoughts of hers.

"Er..." He cannot believe he just voiced a personal promise spurned by the really twisted workings of his mind.

"Seriously, though, how long does the average girl take to get dressed?" Sirius' voice from the parlor cuts through the tension like a knife, "A growing boy needs breakfast."

"I think that's one of the only things we've agreed about, old chap," Vernon's muted-by-French-toast voice answers him, obviously too preoccupied by food to realize who exactly he is talking to.

Lily sighs, "Since they're occupied, would you mind doing up my zipper? I can't seem to reach it."

James' throat tightens a bit in synchronization with his loins. 'Snape naked. Snape naked. Snape naked.' The mantra in his head is in full mental blast, thus forcing him not to trust his voice. He nods as he pushes himself off the wall to a stand before pushing her hair aside, his fingers grazing her upper back from shoulder blade to shoulder blade. He carefully places one hand on her lower back (and not her rear end) before sliding the zipper upwards, knuckles brushing the skin covering her spinal column. The mantra in his head wanes suddenly as he wonders to himself what it would be like to touch her skin everywhere, if it really is as soft and smooth as his eyes and knuckles lead him to believe.

Lily is aware that his knuckles are gliding up her back so gently-it-must-be-her-imagination giving her shivers. The shivers she gets are not of the variety that accompanies hypothermic conditions or nervousness; they are the kind that accompanies the pooling of heat in the lower regions, particularly in the perineum. She is aware that her heartbeat has become a steadfast pounding, that her face is flushing, and her senses are heightening. She hears the zipper reach its end as her dress is done up and hugging her in all of the right places. She takes a moment to collect herself, to check in and control her feelings, before she pulls away from him and asks him, "How do I look?"

He feels like he is having an out-of-body experience. In front of him is the beautiful goddess, holding all of the strings to his heart and groin without actually being aware of that fact. He can see himself frozen in front of her, his gaze intense as he memorizes every detail he never got to see when she pushed to be further and further away from him during their many arguments. He never did get to see the faint chicken pox scar over her right eye brow or the light dusting of freckles on the bridge of her nose. He can see his lips move to form the word as he hears himself say, "Beautiful."

Her blush and smile pull him back into his body as she rakes her upper teeth over her lower lip, "Thank you."

SOMEWHERE IN THE heart of muggle London, not too far from Piccadilly Circus, Lily and Angie sit across from James and Sirius in a restaurant that caters specifically to breakfast. The booth seats disappoint James who was so eager to impress Lily with his gentlemanly behavior as he had foreseen himself pulling out her chair for her. Their waitress attempts to shamelessly flirt with the two boys at the table, not catching onto the cold shoulder approach they give her.

"My name's Penny," she offers, giving them what she thinks to be a coquettish smile, "I'll come back in a bit to take your orders for _anything_ you want."

"I bet she's the kind of person who wears crotch-less panties just to make a quick fuck in the bathroom stall that much easier," Lily sneers as soon as Penny is out of hearing range.

"I bet she's the kind of person who can infect fifty people with herpes just because they sat on the same toilet seat that she did three months ago," Angie adds.

Sirius and James laugh at the comments the two girls make. Their jealousy slightly apparent in the malicious comments inflates their healthy-sized egos to a slightly larger diameter.

"If I didn't know any better," Sirius starts as he loops an arm around Angie's shoulder, "I'd say you two are jealous of our waitress."

"I really don't know why they would be, though," James adds, "They certainly have nothing to envy her of."

"And why is that?" Lily asks as James stares intensely into her eyes.

"Because gentlemen such as ourselves prefer ladies with class such as yourselves," James and Sirius answer together. Sometimes, their similarities in thought are quite eerie.

Angie smiles before kissing Sirius lightly on the lips.

"Wait a minute," Lily orders, "Are you two finally together? Am I finally going to get some peace from you, Angie? Am I not going to have to listen to you pine after out dear Mr. Black? Not have to listen to you whine about how you wish he weren't your best friend so there would be no repercussions to your friendship should something go wrong in your relationship? Are you finally taking a chance and listening to your heart after all this time? Am I finally out of danger of becoming clinically insane?"

Angie flushes a furious shade of chartreuse as Sirius chuckles and answers, "Yes."

"Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!" Lily exclaims.

"I couldn't agree more with you," James says, "Although I could have done without walking in on them this morning."

"WHAT?!" Lily exclaims flummoxed.

James is incapable of answering as Penny strolls up to their table once again, notepad under her poised pen, ready to take their orders. "And what will you have, handsome?" She asks, looking sultrily at Sirius.

"Two eggs scrambled, with sausages," he answers her, not looking up at her from his menu.

Not to be put off by his dismissal of her, Penny turns her attention to James, "And what about you, stud muffin?"

James nearly chokes on his saliva before clearing his throat. "Western omelet."

Sulking, she turns her attention to the two girls, starting with Angie. "And you, miss?"

"Fruit waffle, please."

"And you?" She does not address Lily.

"French toast."

Penny saunters away, put off by the indifferent attitudes the two boys put up.

"What a bitch!" Lily remarks of their waitress.

"I agree," James says as he puts an arm around her shoulders, "I'd take you over her any day."

"That's sweet of you," Lily says as she removes his arm from her person, "But you and I are not on familiar touching terms, got it?"

"Yeah. I'd apologize for it but my parents taught me not to lie."

Angie and Sirius watch the scene before them with amused expressions on their faces.

"That's very decent of you, James," Lily says, "But you are not a decent person."

Angie cuts in, clearly upset with what Lily had just said about James. "How would you know, Lily?" Angie asks, "You've spent all your time focusing on your dislike for James that you don't know much of what he does with his time."

"I know that he doesn't care all that much about anyone but himself."

"Really? Is that why James was made captain of the Quidditch team?"

"Quidditch doesn't make him a decent person, Angie."

"Does tutoring the first through fifth years make him a decent person then?"

"He doesn't tutor anyone! Why would he?"

"But he does," Angie ignores the heated blush on James' face, "It started off as a six-week detention in third year. McGonagall made him tutor the first and second years for Transfiguration for having charmed the suits of armor to duel anyone who passed by them in the halls. After that was done, James continued with it, adding the years he'd just finished as the years went on."

"I didn't know that."

"Just like you don't know that James coaches a Quidditch team for the children in the village not too far from his house? That he coaches children aged three to five?"

Lily's jaw dropped in shock. The idea of the 'bigheaded bullying toe rag' coaching cute little children to play such a dangerous game brought horror to her face.

"Wait," James started, "The field is a miniature field, the hoops aren't much higher than five feet off the ground, the bludgers are charmed to hurt no more than being hit with a pillow, and all balls aside from the snitch are downsized so that the kids can actually hold them in their hands. The beaters' bats are actually made out of foam. The ground is cushioned and their brooms aren't allowed to fly any higher than six feet from the ground."

"That's actually really cute and sweet of you, James," Lily complimented as the safety considerations entered her mind. To her surprise, she had no trouble imagining James teaching such small children to fly and play the game.

"You should hear about some of the other things he does," Angie said, "Like-"

"No. She doesn't need to know about that, Angie."

"Know about what?" Lily asked.

James and Angie are spared from answering when Penny reappears with their meals in hand. She sets down their plates before winking at Sirius and James, making sure to lean down low enough for them to see down her shirt, "Let me know if you need anything else," she says before turning and walking away to attend to her other clients.

"She's really getting desperate," Angie comments, "It's ridiculous."

"I couldn't agree more with you, my dear," Sirius says as he takes a bite of his sausage, "However, this is delicious." He cuts her a piece of the meat, "Here, try a piece."

Angie accepts the offered bite and offers him a bite of her waffle.

"You two are kind of cute in a just-got-together kind of way," Lily comments, "But it's also quite sickening."

"Don't be so sour about it, Lil," Angie advises, "You've got a guy next to you who would gladly offer you the moon if that's what you want."

James turns a bright shade of red, "Angie!"

"No, she's right," Lily interjects, "I'm giving you a onetime chance to tell me exactly what you feel about me while I take it to be the truth from you."

"Really?" James asks disbelievingly. When Lily nods her head, he lets it all out without hesitation, "What I'm about to describe may make you think I'm sick or something but I want you to bear in mind that I'm not. When I think about you I feel my heart race, my palms get clammy and the intense feeling that I'm about to pass out. I get the urge to look for you- if you aren't near me- so that when I find you, I can pull you into my arms and snog you senseless. I want to tell you that you are among the top three things I think about, right after Quidditch and right before pranking. I want to tell you that I dream about you, that I dream about spending the rest of my life with you, loving you and cherishing you like the goddess you are. What I feel for you is complete admiration of your brilliant mind, your sense of humor, your desire to defend those who can't defend themselves; I feel awed by your compassion and your kindness. What I feel about you is complete and irreversible. I'm in love with you, Lily Evans."

Lily sat there in awe at the declaration James had made to her. It was the last thing she had expected him to say to her. She had expected him to say something like, "I feel my pants get tighter when I think about you." She expects him to conclude with. "Psych!"

James sits there uncomfortably as Lily looks at him stock still, wondering what she is thinking at this precise moment. He knows that Angie and Sirius are across the table from him, watching the scene with anticipation. He begins to fidget under her gaze but is spared from any violent outburst Lily may have directed towards him as Penny reaches for Lily's empty plate, the last remaining one on the table.

"You know," Penny begins as she reaches over, "If I were you and this stud muffin just said that to me, I'd snog him senseless and drag him to bed."

Snapped out of her bewilderment, Lily turns to the waitress with a frosty glare, "It's a good thing I'm not you then," she pauses and softens a bit as she considers the waitress' advice, "But I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

Penny shrugs and leaves the table, thinking that she ought to be satisfied that she at least tried with both delicious specimens of men.

"I don't know if I can say anything to you that could even remotely compare to what you just told me," Lily says, eyes cast down to her lap, "Well, I can, but I would be lying," she looks up at him with watery eyes, "And you deserve so much better than a lie. At this precise moment, I don't feel anything nearly as intense as love for you but given what I've learnt about you today, I know that whatever feeling I have for you at the moment is slightly stronger than platonic love."

James' jaw drops at that moment, an unbecoming look of befuddlement marring his attractive face.

"James Potter," Lily hesitates, "Would you like to go out on a date with me sometime in the very near future?"

The impressively large size that James' eyes expand to liken him to a cartoon character. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to go out with you for... Well, maybe you do considering all the times you shot me down..." James mutters, completely forgetting that Lily is waiting for an answer. He looks up at her as she worries her bottom lip between her teeth the way she does when she is extremely nervous, "Of course!"

Lily smiles at him, "So, can we blow this pop stand now?"

"SO WHAT DID you mean when you said you 'walked in' on Sirius and Angie this morning?" Lily asks, her arm hooked around James' elbow as they walk through Hyde Park.

"THAT, my dearest Lily," Angie beats James to a response, "is information that you are not quite privy to just yet."

"Honestly, Lily," Sirius continues, "Maybe when I'm not still scarred by that disastrous fiasco from this morning."

"I'm sure Angie will tell you when she happens to get angry with Sirius for something minor, like walking in on her while she showers or something along those lines. It should be about a week or so."

"Hey!" Sirius exclaims, "I'll have you know that just because you guys like to hog the bathroom all the time, I disregard your 'closed door' status. Besides, you and I have the same parts... Maybe not in the same proportions but the parts are similar."

"Uh huh..." James placates him with a noncommittal agreement.

They had spent a regal day in muggle London, perusing through the local shops, stopping in upscale tea rooms for a bite, strolling through the streets, and stopping for dinner. It was a pleasant surprise when Lily openly held hands with James as they strolled through the streets together.

Sometimes, it may be that while the chase is nice and all, there may be something to be said for the prize after all the effort has been put into the capture.

**A.N: Ive had this chapter written for a while. I just wasnt too sure how I felt about it, particularly if I liked it enough to publish it. Its pretty fluffy and filler-y. I apologize for not updating during the school year. Real life got in the way, bringing its nasty friends classes, midterms, studying, and exams with it. Ill try to write another two chapters before the end of summer though. I cant guarantee that Ill update this coming school year either since I finally get to start my field internship (hurray for taking care of athletes! Yum, boys! (= ) and Ill still have to go to classes too. **

**Since Im still sitting on the fence about this chapter, please tell me what you think. Ill try to write something with more of a plot for the next one, I promise!**

**Toodles****! **

**Erica **


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